Sailboat Family

Change in Course

2010-07-27T08:00:00.005-04:00

Over the past few weeks, we've been experimenting with Facebook and we've decided that we would continue to chronicle our journey on that system rather than this blog.

The decision has been a toughie as there are many people following our journey here. However, we believe the Facebook platform will provide us all a better mechanism to stay connected.

We've created a Sailboat Family Facebook Fan Page, and we would love for you to join us there.

Our evolution towards the Sailboat Family Life continues; as we go we learn of ways to morph and change to enhance the experience. Our Internet presence is no exception to change, with the first foray as a humble web page, next a monthly chronicle was added, this was followed by entry into the blogosphere, and now to Facebook land we go. Who knows what will be after that!

While remaining laser focused on a goal, one should not be blind to opportunities that enhance the experience. The destination may not change, but currents do. Ride the currents when they suit you.

Thinning continues

2010-07-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

The boat has nearly every item in it we will need for the trip ..... all the toys, tools, food, and clothes thereby making everything else we own, that isn't on the boat, superfluous. As a consequence, we've begun a massive purge of items in our tiny apartment.

Over the past 8 days, we've dispensed with 21 bags of stuff. Where did that 21 bags come from? We've been vigilant about not adding things to our life, and yet there are the 21 bags. Looking through them, toys and clothes make up the bulk. But there were other items too, like a walking stick, that somehow magnetically drew itself to us.

There are a number of after thoughts that came about after this purging exercise. Firstly, we had too much stuff. 75% of it was never used .... it just sat there (walking sticks don't walk themselves). Secondly, even with the trip being our family focus, items slip in under the wire. One exception here, one exception there, and a few years later you have 21 bags of stuff. Thirdly, stuff is deceptive and is able to fill space hiding itself.

As we work towards our goal of moving onto the boat, we will need to hold these purging events more frequently. Better yet, we will not allow more stuff in but I suspect stuff will still appear!

21 bags is a lot, but we have more. Time for another run to Goodwill.

Stonehenge

2010-07-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

While in England last week, I was able to make it to Stonehenge.

The structure is a collection of massive stones sitting out in the middle of no where with no rock quarry near by. It is believed to have been assembled around 2500 B.C. There are about as many theories regarding its purpose and origin as their are people.

The people vibe, in the area, is much like Sedona Arizona. There is wonder and amazement in the eyes of people as they circle the structure. There is a feeling of magic in the air.

But these are just rocks. The power of these "just rocks" lies in them sitting in an unexpected location. The power of these "just rocks" lies in them arranged in an unexplainable way. The power of these "just rocks" lies in the people whom look at them and wonder.

The lesson for me is that even if someone is just a "rock", if they are in the right arrangement, in the right place, and viewed by the right people, they can be magical.

Water Park Skill Development

2010-07-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

As a way to celebrate the hard work of employees and the contributions of families, yesterday my office had a day at the Lake Lanier Islands Water Park. We played and played and played. The Lake Lanier Water Park has water fun houses, slides, tube rides, wave pools, beach action, water playground, and even one of those toilet bowl rides where the end is a free fall into a deep pool.

We took advantage of the water park and used it as a way assess how our daughters would do in a chaotic water environment. We didn't do drills per se, but we issued various commands, watched when they would try to float and when they would try to swim, studied their decision choices, measured their boldness, and so forth. They both did good given their ages. We did see, however, that more work must be done. I guess that means more water park time! :)

HMS Victory

2010-07-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

HMS Victory in Portsmouth, England

For the past 9 days, I've been in England on a business trip with Winchester (South England) as a base. Fortunately, there were no meetings over the weekend and that allowed for a bit of touring. A group of colleagues rented a car and off we went. One of the most interesting stops was in Portsmouth, right on the English Channel. There is a fantastic Navel museum there with the pride and joy artifact being the HMS Victory.

The HMS Victory is an amazing sailing vessel with many navel victories under her belt. As I walked from deck to deck (there were about 7 of them), I was struck by how low the ceilings were; the deeper I descended, the more hunched over I had to be. About 800 sailors were aboard at any one time, and the thoughts of them moving about in the confined spaces makes one almost feel squished. With oceans wave action, cannons firing, commands being shouted, no doubt those seamen had one hell of a job. According to the tour guide, the cannons (over 100 of them) could be heard for over 50 miles when fired so I'm sure those on board had no hearing by the time they completed their duty. It is also worth sharing that it was aboard HMS Victory that Vice Admiral Nelson was shot and killed. Their are plaques aboard the boat marking the exact spot of each (he was shot while on top deck but he died on the lowest deck).

Seeing the massive scale of all the ships components and the rudimentary system sure does give a different perspective into todays modern boats. The HMS Victory is quite different than our little Ariel!

Boat Hair - KJ's First Hair Cut

2010-07-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

When should a child get their first hair cut? I believe the answer depends on the child. In the case of crew member KJ, she was 4 years 8 months old. It was KJ's decision to cut her hair and Bill agreed.

Bill and I believe that we should teach our girls about how to make decisions, as soon as they can comprehend the concept. KJ and her Dad have been getting close to making a decision on when she should get her first hair cut, for the past year. But we knew that her hair would be cut before we started our adventure. Very long hair gets really tangled in the wind and on a sailboat there is usually wind (we hope ;)).

The decision to cut her hair came after our long 4th of July weekend, at the boat. KJ's hair was really tangled and a bear to brush. So many tears :(. A couple of days later, KJ told me she wanted her hair cut and Bill gave me the go-a-head.

One pony tail and a couple of snipes from the scissors and KJ's hair is 9" shorter, but still well below her shoulders. With the baby hair gone, her hair looks and feel healthier and is a lot easier to brush. KJ love her shorter hair.

Tupperware

2010-07-21T08:00:00.004-04:00

In the cruising world, one major nemesis is trash. Most of the books and blogs that I have read on cruising suggest taking food out of its original container and store it in some kind of reusable storage. This not only cuts down on the amount of plastic and paper trash, but also helps keep various insects off the boat.

Based on recommendations from cruiser forums, blogs, and books the best solution for us is Tupperware. Continuous usage of an item requires it to be reliable and durable. Testimonials from the above mentioned references, all highly recommend Tupperware over any other brand of storage.

With the solution in hand, we started pricing new Tupperware and developed a case of sticker shock. New, just a couple of pieces can run upwards of $50. Based on our storage plan, we were going to need a lot, but we weren't willing to drop $500 or more on new Tupperware. We decided to try ebay.

While searching on ebay, I could not believe how many results came up for Tupperware, over 30,000. That's a lot of Tupperware! After looking at a lot of listings, we bid on a few and won a listing that had over 70 pieces of vintage(used) Tupperware for a total of $50.82 (included shipping).

The Tupperware was in great shape and I was amazed at how much each container could hold. We have filled and labeled all of the various pieces of Tupperware. They now reside on Ariel.

Ground Tackle Acquisition - Chain, Rode, Claw

2010-07-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

With all of the modifications and upgrades that we have made to our Gemini 3200, we thought it was time to upgrade some of our most important equipment, ground tackle.

When we purchased our boat back in June 2009, it came with 2 fair sets of anchor, chain, and rode. Our future plans call for us spending most of our time at anchor; therefore, additional chain and rode are a necessity.

The upgrades to our ground tackle include: 100 feet of 5/16 BBB chain with 150 feet of 1/2 nylon rode, 60 feet of 5/16 BBB chain with 150 feet of 1/2 nylon rode, stainless steel anchor shackles, and 33 pound claw anchor.

You know, insurance companies are always reminding people to re-evaluate their insurance as it relates to changes in their lives. We believe that ground tackle is the most valuable insurance you can have on a boat. With the additions to our ground tackle equipment, we believe that we are more than adequately insured ;).

New Wraps for Lines and Shore Cord

2010-07-19T08:00:00.005-04:00

Have you ever thought, I need something to keep "X" from coming uncoiled? On our Gemini 3200, the "X" is numerous.

I've been thinking for some time on how to keep things from coming uncoiled that would not cost a lot, if any, money.

The idea of the wrap came from a marine chandlery that we call "Tiffany's," because of their prices. I was browsing through their catalog when I came across wraps priced from $1.99 to $6.49, depending on material. The wrap looked so simple, I decided to make them.

Using webbing, velcro, and Beulah, I made two wraps in less than 5 minutes for less than $.25 each. The wraps are a piece of 12" long webbing with 2" of velcro. Just sew the loop part of the velcro on one side of the webbing, at the end, and the hook part of the velcro on the other side, at the opposite end. That's it. (Note: Make sure to sear the ends of the webbing or cut it using a hot knife, because it likes to ravel.)

Cleaning Boat Grill

2010-07-18T08:00:00.004-04:00

Above picture is after the cleaning. I wish I had taken a before picture.

Before you think about throwing a grill away, try cleaning it with Easy Off Oven Cleaner (in the yellow canister). You will be amazed at what it can do, I know it amazed me.

Preparing for our adventure, we knew that we wanted the ability to grill. Not only because we like to grill, but it gives us a backup to our stove and not cooking in the galley will help keep the boat cooler, when it is hot.

We acquired a Magma grill when we purchased our Gemini 3200 , a year ago June, but we never used it. The reason we never used it was it looked terrible on the inside and it would not stay lit. We were considering throwing it away, but we thought that we should try to clean it.

I cleaned it using Easy Off Oven Clean, in the yellow canister. Basically, I sprayed (coated) the inside of the grill with Easy Off, closed the lid, and allowed it so sit in the sun for 4 hours. When I came back and rinsed the grill, I was amazed. The grill almost looked brand new and now appears to be working. I guess it just needed a really good cleaning.

I'm so glad that we tried to clean the grill before throwing it way. The $3.54 cost of a canister of Easy Off saved us from purchasing a new marine grill with prices starting around $150.

Tip: I would not use the Easy Off near anything that is painted. It took the green paint off the propane canister.

Igloo 165 QT Cooler

2010-07-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

It is hard to keep things cold on a boat. That is no longer the case on our Gemini 3200. Other day, we purchased an Igloo 165QT MaxCold Travel Cooler for Ariel.

Igloo advertises that this cooler keeps ice for 7 days in 90 degree temperatures, holds up to 280 -12oz. cans hold, has a quick-access hatch, and is made with Ultratherm insulation for maximum cold retention. The durable outside has UV inhibitors incorporated into the plastic, I desire that this translates into longevity.

This cooler is approximately 42" long, 18" wide, and 22" high and will take up valuable space in the cockpit.

Like almost everything that goes on our Gemini 3200, it has to have more than one purpose. The cooler will not only store things that we want to keep cold, it will also double as a helm set. Our existing helm seat is a Garelick pilot chair (looks like bar stool). The reasons we are making the change are that we felt the chair would be a hazard in rough seas and one of the seat welds broke on our last cruise.

We are looking forward to putting the cooler on Ariel. With this addition, the cockpit will be safer, we can keep cold things longer, and more than one person can sit at the helm at the same time. (Cup holders are a bonus ;))

Cockpit Cushion Covers

2010-07-16T08:00:00.004-04:00

N0w that the settee cushions on our Gemini 3200 have been refreshed, I wanted to do something to brighten up our boat cockpit without spending more than $50. The solution was to make covers for our existing cockpit cushions.

The existing cockpit cushions are closed cell foam covered in a designer phifertex fabric. The cushions are fantastic, because neither the phifertex nor the close cell foam absorb water. So they not only serve as seat cushions, but also could be used as flotation aids. The cushions would be perfect, except they look drab and the phifertex fabric is not comfortable.

After exploring different options, I happen upon a project posted to Sailrite's facebook page were someone used beach towels to recover their cockpit cushions. The great thing about using beach towels is that the towels could be used for multiple purposes and they wouldn't take up valuable storage space.

I started my search for the right beach towels. I was fortunate to find towels that matched the interior color palette at Target for $9.99. I purchased 4 towels.

To make the cover, I wrapped an existing cushion in a towel and pinned it in place. Then I pinned velcro to the towel and sewed it into place using my LSZ-1 Ultrafeed sewing machine.

The cover installation takes only a minute. Just place a cushion on a towel and wrap it in the towel like a present. The velcro functions as the tape.

I love the new look and can't wait to try them out the next time we are in Savannah.

Settee Cushions Redo - Materials and Cost

2010-07-15T08:00:00.003-04:00

Recently, I completely remade the settee cushions for our Gemini 3200. I did not go into details about how to make the cushions, because Sailrite's dvd gives all of the detail and they are the experts. I do want to share with y'all the list of materials and cost. Maybe this information can help someone looking at redoing their settee or other large upholstery project.

Our Gemini 3200 has six large cushions (3 back and 3 seat cushions) that make-up the settee. The back cushions are basically rectangles and two of the cushions are mounted on plywood with a teak back plate, so no need to cover the back of the cushions with material. The three seat cushions were irregular in shape and a little more challenging.

All-in-all, this project took 65 hours for me, to complete. (This was my first big sewing project and the first time I had ever installed zippers. The Sailrite dvd was the only reference I used and it was the only one that I needed.) I think that now that I have some experience, this project would take less time for me to complete.

All of the materials for this project were purchased from Sailrite, except the foam which was purchased from my local Joann's. Note: I was able to use coupons/sale discounts to purchase all of the materials.

The list and quantity of material below was sufficient to make 2 back cushions - 65"x14"x2", 1 back cushion - 74"x14"x3", 2 seat cushions - 62"x20"x4", and 1 seat cushion 69"x24"x4".

Materials from Sailrite:

12 yards of Naugahyde Universal Pure White 54" - $155.40

180 yards Deluxe Vinyl Emossed Welting/Piping Pure White - $ 99.00

1 1oz Spool plus 25yards of V92 White Thread -~$ 5.00

2 #10 White 72" Zippers - Single Locking Plastic - $ 19.90*

2 #10 White 60" Zippers - Single Locking Plastic - $ 17.40*

1 Sailrite "Make Your Own Cushions" DVD - $ 19.95

Shipping from Sailrite - $ 15.24

Minus 10% Discount ($ 31.66)

Total from Sailrite: $300.23

* Note: Single locking zipper is hard to sew around, at the ends. I recommend using non-locking zipper for this type of project. That way the slider and lock don't get into the way. (Wish I had known.)

Foam from Joann's: (Note all of the foam was purchased with 40% to 50% off discounts)

2-2"thick x65" long x 24.5" wide $ 67.22

1-3"thick x 74" long x 24.5" wide $ 52.78

2-4"thick x 62" long x 24.5" wide $114.57

1-4"thick x 69" long x 24.5" wide $ 58.44

Total from Joann's: $293.01

Other Materials/Instruments Used:

12 1/2"Brass Grommets

1 #18 Sewing Machine Needle for Ultrafeed Machine

Beulah (our Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Machine)

Good Office Stapler

Box of Staples

Heavy Duty Stapler and Staples for Cushions with Plywood backs

Staple Puller

1/2" Die Set to install Grommets

Hammer

Flat Head Screwdriver

Scissors

Yard Stick

10' Measuring Tape

Seam Ripper

Time: ~65 hours

Total Cost of 6 extra large cushions $593.24. This cost does not include the cost of time or my Ultrafeed LSZ-1. However, with the completion of this project, Beulah (my Ultrafeed LSZ-1) has more than paid for herself, my sewing skills have improved, and Ariel feels and smells fresher.

Maintenance for LSZ-1 Ultrafeed Sewing Machine

2010-07-14T08:00:00.002-04:00

Recently, I finished the first big project on my Sailrite LSZ-1 Ultrafeed sewing machine, named Beulah. The project was sewing six new cushions for our settee, on our Gemini 3200. (The smallest cushion was 62"x22"x4".) Beulah was really working hard and loving every minute of it.

Shortly after threading the machine with a new spool of thread, I began to hear a new noise coming from the machine. After I heard it for the fifth time, I stopped sewing. It sounded like metal hitting something. I pulled out my sewing machine manual to see if I could determine where the sound was coming from.

The manual stated that the machine needs to be "oiled frequently," but what constitutes frequently. My gut was telling me that I needed to oil Beulah (my machine). That's exactly what I did and she sounded beautiful again.

The thing I learned was that my machine"Beulah" needs to be cleaned and oiled every time 1 oz or 250 yards of thread is used. This is how frequent my LSZ-1 Ultrafeed needs to be cleaned and oiled.

Signs of Drowning isn't like in the Movies

2010-07-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

In studying this life style, a critical area of study is water safety. Within water safety, when you boil it down, there are a few key bad situations: drowning and hypothermia. It is the former that is the subject of this post as my researching into it revealed some interesting tidbits, the key among them is that drowning does not in any way look like what is seen in the movies.

In 2011, in the USA, it is predicted that 375 children will die drowning while being 25 yards or less away from an adult and that 37 of these kids will drown and the adult will see it actually happen but unaware of the signs of drowning!

This scary stuff, along with the signs of drowning and a ton more real deal sea safety information, is available from a rescue helicopter swimmer's personal website MarioVittone.com. Mario's candid raw style is fantastic.

From the Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning article on Mario's site, the key reason that drowning doesn't look like drowning is that the primary philological capability that trumps all others is respiration and when drowning, the entire body shuts down except for this one critical operation. Therefore, things like yelling, trashing, etc. just simply isn't possible. So what does it look like? Mario shares Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D, description from a Coast Guard magazine. It includes the following 5 key signs (as quoted for Mario's site which quotes the magazine article):

Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.
Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

Powerful stuff. Please forward and share.

Settee Cushions Redo - Part 2

2010-07-12T08:00:00.009-04:00

Six large cushions later, the settee is fresh and new! I finished the last two seat cushions just before we left for the July 4th weekend in Savannah and assembled them, as soon as we arrived.

The assembly consisted of me shoving the foam into the cushion covers I made. (I did not assemble the cushions in Atlanta, because we had to travel with them and to make the best us of space, I had to fold the foam.) You can see from the photo that I needed to work the foam, so that the it fills in all of the turns. The bottom cushions looked smoother after working the foam, with only one or two rolls in the fabric. If these don't smooth out within the next month or so, I will add a little batting. This will make the cushions fuller, thus removing the rolls.

I finished off the settee with two outdoor pillows from Cost Plus World Market.

We wanted the boat for feel fresh and tropical. I think that we have accomplished those feelings in the main saloon.

Sailrite's Customer Service

2010-07-11T08:00:00.003-04:00

Sailrite's customer service is awesome! I have only had positive experiences every time I have interacted with someone from this company.

Within the last month, I began having an issue with the posi-pin on my LSZ-1 Ultrafeed sewing machine. The pin would disengage while I was sewing and spring out of the fly-wheel. Since the pin engages the needle, you can not sew without it. (This was a pain, because I was working on the settee cushion project and was in the "sewing grove".)

I sent a message to Sailrite, asking for assistance. Before Sailrite could write back (within 5 minutes), I found a work-a-round. I simply removed the spring from the posi-pin and re-inserted the pin into the fly-wheel. Problem solved. This work-a-round allowed me to finish my cushions and to re-connect with Sailrite at a later time.

This past week, I finally got around to re-connecting with Sailrite. My original message asking for assistance received a response within 1 1/2hours of sending it. I think this is very good, since I sent the message at 8:30 pm. The response stated that the detent ball, in the pin, had probably popped out and I needed a new posi-pin. The message also stated that "If your machine is newer, it is covered by warranty. Call 800-348-2769 to check on a warranty replacement." Well, my machine was new, but I had not gotten around to registering the warranty with Sailrite and I could not find my warranty card. I thought that could be an issue, since the warranty card was suppose to be sent in within 30 days of purchase.

No issue at all. I called the warranty department, emailed the information requested on the warranty card, and called back to place my order for a new posi-pin. All I had do was pay the first class mail postage for shipping of the pin. What a great company!

Over the years, my family has interacted with the warranty departments of several "big" companies, but we have never received better service than the service we received from Sailrite.

THANK YOU SAILRITE!!!!

Semi-Autonomous Fly Eradication System for Boats

2010-07-10T08:00:00.004-04:00

Armed with advanced fly eradication devices, these 2 warriors set about to rid of our boat of the pesky bugs in fine fashion! With this picture, you get a sneak peek into our cabin since Val has redone the insides. You will notice the new settee cushions, fresh curtains, and Savannah area maps rolled up on the navigation station. Val will be blogging with shots of the interior soon.

Oh, notice the screen is a bit curled up on the corner? Maybe that is how the flies got in. Some of those suckers, flies, were HUGE! They make horse flies seem like mites!

Marking Anchor Chain With Electrical Tape On Dock

2010-07-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

[KJ and I marking anchor chain lengths with electrical tape]

Our 5/16th BBB 100 foot chain came in! It is a brute! Perfect! After inspecting all the links, KJ and I sat down to measure off 20 foot lengths and to mark it.

There are many systems for marking chain, and there are plenty of "devices" you can buy to mark both the chain and rode. KJ and I marked the chain and rode with electrical tape. This approach will require maintenance (e.g. retaping periodically), but didn't cost us any additional out of the pocket money as we already had 5 colors of electrical tape from other work I had done.

Our procedure was rather simple. We marked our dock with 2 pieces of tape 20 feet apart. We then ran the chain back and forth between the marks. At each turn of the chain, we put some tape on. Not just a turn or two, but multiple wraps. For the rode, we unwound the rope strands enough to insert flags of tape.

Coloring on chain markings is another one of those areas where there are lots of opinions and approaches. Some folks have tried to standardize the approaches, and while they make sense, I went with a technique that is simple enough for our family.

Every different color on a given section represents 20 feet. For example, at 40 feet, you will find 2 different colors of tape. The colors don't matter in our system, just that there are different colors. At 60 feet, you will find 3 different colors, at 100 feet, 5 colors. We did the same approach with the rope. When all the chain is paid out, plus 2 colors of rode, we know we are at 140 feet of total ground tackle out (100 feet of chain plus 2 colors of tape on the rope).

Keep in mind, we don't have a windlass, so there are no binding issues.

In addition to the maintenance issue noted, if our chain ever has to be cut, then we would have to peel off some of the tape on the chain as well as keep the new length in mind as we spool it out if we get into the rope section.

PFD - Stearn Sospenders Auto Inflate With Harness

2010-07-08T08:00:00.004-04:00

[Val sporting the Sterns Sospenders AutoInflate PFD with Harness]

Based on our research, the Sterns Sospenders became our Personal Flotation Device (PFD) of choice. The easy pick would have been Mustang, but after reading lots of reviews, we decided that the Sospenders would fit the bill perfectly. These are in addition to our standard, old school orange, manual PFDs.

Prices on the Internet for these particular PFDs are $179.97, but we sourced them in Savannah at a store called River Supply for $161. Plus, because of the recommendation and affiliation of our marina with River Supply, River Supply knocked off another 10 bucks per PFD! Thank you Mr. Long at Sail Harbor Marina AND Pat at River Supply.

Val and I wore these PFDs every time we were underway (our family rule), and we both forgot we were wearing them! We didn't test out the auto inflation feature (triggered when submerged and powered by a CO2 cartridge), but Val did try out the manual inflation and they both worked just fine.

Oh, River Supply's web site is atrocious. If you want something, call them (1-800-673-9391, ask for Pat and tell him that the Sailboat Family sent you!).

Trolling in the Atlantic With Homemade Fishing Lures Made From Cans

2010-07-07T08:00:00.008-04:00

With our first trip out to the Atlantic, KJ and I decided we would go fishing …. specifically trolling. We made our own homemade lures to catch something big!

In the top photo, you can see KJ about 45 minutes into trolling. The faint white line behind her head is the trolling line. She would pull the line in every 2 minutes just to check to see if we got a fish. Alas, the Atlantic didn't have any fish with enough class and taste as evidenced by us not catching a single fish with our amazing fishing lures.

We were so ready to fillet them! KJ was really ready to go through the process of cutting them up … or at least, that is what she said. It would have been interesting to see how she would have really responded once a fish was pulled aboard. Maybe next time!

Below are pictures of the 2 homemade lures we made. MMMmmmmm they looks good! Interestingly, the Coors Light cans have that image that turns blue when cold so I wonder if it turned blue while in the water! Yeah, that is what we meant to do!

More Island Time Time

2010-07-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

When Ariel was first moved to Savannah, Island Time was experienced ... that slow pace everyone on the island has that you have to adjust to otherwise frustration can be easily had. This past 4th of July weekend, we not only acknowledged Island Time, but we began to understand from where it stems.

When we set out for the 4 days of boating, we had a grandiose list of things to be done. We would sail from this point to that point by this time, we would eat this particular food at that particular time, we would be regimented and go forth with our boating at our pace for the short 4 days. We learned, in short order, that isn't the way Island Time works and when we did try to work on our schedule, versus that of the surroundings, we got over tired and made mistakes.

The ocean, the sun, the tides, the winds, the waves, and natures tempo dictates what we would do and when. By the 4th of July, 2 days in, we were in tune with the rhythms. As we began to flow with the surroundings, moving to accomplish only what was needed to be done and when, more was done and we didn't get as tired. Watermelon was consumed at the right ocean time. Engines were started at the right tide times. Sails were raised at the right wind times. Work was done at the right Island Time. It brought home again the whole concept of Island Time, except with a knowledge of its source.

In the end, we learned that Island Time isn't a choice by those who live the life of the ocean. Rather, it is forced upon them just as it was us.

Back in Atlanta, I'm still on Island Time. Everything seems to be moving around at a frenzied, unnecessary pace. However, this is Atlanta Time and every place has its Time. Just go to New York City! :)

Sail Versus Power Boats: The Great Boat Debate

2010-07-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Over the past 3 years, as we've initiated ourselves into the world of boating, we've learned of a few battles that are as contentious as religion and politics. Some we've explored on our blog, such as anchoring and build -vs- buy. Others, such as power versus sail, we haven't yet. Well, today I'm going to poke into another one.... sailboats versus powerboats. :)

Sailboats are superior. Oh, now thems fightin words! But that is my opinion, based on our needs and desires, sailboats are simply superior. Within the previous sentence is the key, “based on our needs and desires.”

For us, being solo agents and completely self reliant, having redundancy is critical. A sailboat has 2 sources of propulsion. In addition to sails, a sailboat typically has a redundant propulsion source by way of an outboard engine. Powerboats are limited to, well, their combustion engine.

Unlike others who rail against having an engine, I think it is great to have one (heck, we have 2 on our boat now, one for Ariel and one for the dinghy). I, however, think having propulsion limited only to petroleum is too risky for our adventure. 1 engine, 2 engines, 3 … doesn't matter …. we are after different options and wind plus petroleum is the way to go.

Beyond this point, you have all the other “arguments.” Speed, noise, range, electrical power creation, hull shapes for suitability of conditions, and more. These are all valid issues from someones perspective, and based on the someones weighting of each, the scales could be tipped in favor of power over sail or vice versa.

At this point in our journey, powerboats simply are too limited for our tastes. In our weighting system, the value in propulsion source options is such that with all the other factors combined, a sailboat is definitely the way to go for us.

Time to put the sails up and slowly make our way back to the marina, with only the sound of fish jumping, wind though the sails, and the waves lapping up along the boat. Ultimate peace. Well, that and KJ and Dy screaming “Look! Look!” as the dolphins swim along side.

Independence Day - Boat Style!

2010-07-04T08:00:00.002-04:00

This is our second 4th of July on the boat. Talk about independence! Last year Ariel was new to the family and we were sitting on Lake Lanier taking in all the fireworks. This year, as we progress on our journey, we are on the Atlantic Ocean preparing to enjoy more fireworks. Tybee Island is said to have one heck of a show, so we will be sailing to another location this afternoon for prime viewing.

Independence. That is ultimately what we are after. This adventure, this throwing off of the shackles of "normal life", is proof that we are truly independent. The USA threw caution to the wind in 1776 and told the mother land it wasn't needed any more ... that the USA could survive on its own. This was gutsy. The world was (is) a turbulent place with nations all vying for more land and power.

Fortunately for our family, the USA succeed in its quest for independence and we've enjoyed all the fruits that come with it. It was that initial risk, that moment of braving it solo, that we are thinking about today. Independence Day for the USA, the 4th of July, serves as an awesome example of courage.

The edge of decision, the moment of facing that final choice to go. We are on the edge. We are about to embark on a style of living that is so counter to the currents we live in. It is different, it is far more independent.

Will we have the guts in the end to push off from that marina dock and say, "See you later!"? We believe so. Compared to launching an entire nation on a new path, ours seems easy.

The mental hardening of the "YESification" process continues.

Living or Surviving

2010-07-03T08:00:00.005-04:00

Waking up on the boat this morning, I wondered about the fish below. Are they living life? Or are they surviving life? Are they enjoying the ocean and all it offers? Or are they merely avoiding being eaten? Thinking about the whole cycle of life going on below, I couldn't help but draw parallels to us humans and our life above.

It seems to me many people are surviving life. They are just trying to avoid being eaten. A fish, I get. They are operating purely on instincts and they have legitimate, life threatening predators hunting them. But how many legitimate predators do we humans have hunting us? For people, almost every predator is imaginary. Heck, most of those don't even cause physical, mortal, harm. Instead, nearly every predator for a human attacks a sensibility of some sort.

Life is a wonderful gift and it is hard to imagine spending it surviving life, especially when we are in the fortunate position to not have a life threatening predator around every piece of coral. The only restraint we have is our mind. As FDR said, “The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself.” It is fear that puts us into survival mode, and for a vast majority of us, that fear is based on some false foundation.

Today, I chose to live life. I chose to enjoy every amazing offering that is before me. I chose to not put myself into a protective place for fear of an imaginary monster. I chose to take advantage of this incredible experience of being alive. I chose to live life.

Time to take swim and enjoy the ocean.

Provisioning the Boat for 4 Days

2010-07-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

This weekend is the 4th of July and we are going to take Ariel (our Gemini 3200) out for her first cruise in the Atlantic. We are planning to spend 4 days out on the boat. We are very excited!

One of the biggest challenges is how do we provision the boat for 4 days. Since we will be leaving our marina this afternoon and will not be returning until sometime on Monday, we need to (at minimum) provision for 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners plus snacks.

Breakfasts will consist of pancakes, oatmeal, and fresh fruit. The big decision is whether to make lunch or dinner the "big meal". This will dependent on the heat. Our main lunch and dinner menus are steaks with mash potatoes, hot dogs with buns, steak burritos, chili with rice, chickpea salad, and gazpacho.

In addition to the menu for this weekend, we have our galley staples consisting of canned tuna, lentils, extra chili, canned corn, canned tomatoes, extra rice and potatoes, extra oatmeal and pancake mix, onions, spam, mixed nuts, dry fruit, powder milk, chicken stock, variety of beans, garlic, salsa, basic staples (flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and spices), and a 4lb bag of M&Ms and Twizzlers. Theses staples serve as our food safety net. In the quantities we have on our boat, we believe that we could live off these staples for 3 weeks, if we had to.

Soups On! Time to clean the grill. I can almost smell the steaks now ;).

Passports Renewed - Check

2010-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Passport renewal was on our "Needs to be Complete Before We Leave" task list. Well yesterday that item was checked off the list. My passport finally came in. The US State Department had stated that regular passport renewal processing took between 4-6 weeks. I was lucky, mine only took 3 weeks.

The next time we will have to go through this process is in 2012. The girls passports will have to be renewed at that time. In the US, passports for children under 16 are only valid for 5 years; adult passports are valid for 10 years.

YEAH!!! We are another step closer to "YESification"!

Dinghy Engine Mount For Our Gemini 3200 Sailboat

2010-06-30T08:00:00.003-04:00

One of the ornery pieces of equipment to find a proper place for is the dinghy engine. Where does one store a 5 hp outboard engine?

Many of the boats in our marina have them mounted on the rails around their boat, and in fact many of them have a mounting board on their rails just for this purpose. Ariel had this same mounting board (a 7 inch by 9 inch plaque), but it wouldn't support our dinghy engine. As we test mounted the 5hp engine, our mounting board just spun around.

Inspecting the other boats, we could see that nearly all of them had their mounting boards such that a pipe ran through the center of them preventing the spinning. Ariel's dinghy mounting board wasn't configured this way. While looking at what I would need to do to have a pipe in the center, I saw a problem: our rudders would potentially bump into the dinghy hanging off of the mounting board. (Recall that on a Gemini 3200, the rudders are off the back of the boat and can be adjusted based on a desired draft and the shallower the draft, the higher out of the water the top of the rudders are.)

The other issue we noticed during the test mounting was that the propeller of the dinghy engine was perfectly situated to gouge the side of our boat if, say, the boat were bounced around. That would be bad news.

The solution to both issues (the spinning mounting board and gouging propeller) would be found on 2 different boats we saw in the marina. These boats used a long board to serve as a backing board. The longer board effectively created a wall that runs the length of the dinghy engine and protects the boat from the engine banging on the side.

We went to HomeDepot and bought a PVC Viranda board; a lightweight, low maintenance, moisture resistance, pre-colored board. After cutting it to the desired length (40 inches), I bolted it onto the dinghy engine mount on the rail and viola! we now have a secure place for our dinghy engine to mount.

Marinas are awesome .... lots of examples on how to solve challenges.

Settee Cushions Redo - Part 1

2010-06-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Over the past couple of months, I have been making new settee cushions for our Gemini 3200. Given my limited sewing experience, I have been taking my time making the new cushions. I want to do a really good job, because this is our home.

Before starting this project, I did a lot of research on making cushions and the different materials to use. Sailrite's website has been an invaluable resource to me. This website not only has all of the material, sewing aids, and notions, but also terrific "how to" videos. When I purchased everything to make the cushions from Sailrite, I also purchased their "Make Your Own Cushion" dvd. This dvd is definitely worth its $19.95 price. I have completed 4 of the 6 settee cushions and have referenced the video each time.

All of the materials used to make the cushions were purchased from Sailrite, except the foam. Foam is very expensive and even more expensive to ship. After a lot of thought, we decided to purchase the foam at our local JoAnn's store. It did not hurt that I came across a couple of 5o% and 40% off coupons. For the material we chose Naugahyde Universal, which is a durable outdoor marine grade material. The reasoning behind picking it was that if it can hold up to the outdoor marine enviornment, then it should do fantastic inside.

The plan is to finish the cushions this week. After I finish the last cushion and place it in the boat, I will post before and after pictures of the settee renovation.

Disney was AWESOME!

2010-06-28T08:00:00.008-04:00

What a wonderful week. The girls and I joined Bill in Orlando, FL , after his conference. We stayed at the recently renovated, Holiday Inn - Downtown Disney Resort Area. The hotel has a great pool with a zero entry area.

We spent Wednesday at the pool and Downtown Disney, which was an easy walk from the Holiday Inn. We had a late lunch at T-REX. The food was good, but the scenery and animaltronics were fantastic. After lunch the girls played in the dino dig area.

Thursday was our day dedicated to Magic Kingdom. We caught the resort bus to the park and started our day with... ICE CREAM in front of the castle. We spent the next 8 hours riding rides, watching the parade and shows, meeting princesses, and just soaking up the Disney experience. Dy's favorite ride was the Tea Cups, while KJ loved Space Mountain. We were disappointed to find Ariel's Grotto gone, but excited about the new area being developed for Ariel and Belle.

Friday we decided to go to Epcot. We only spent 4 hours at the park. Not long enough to do it justice. In hindsight, we should have given ourselves a day or more between park visits. This is a lesson learned for our 2012 Disney visit. After the park, it was back to the hotel pool to cool off.

Saturday was a full day. We spent the morning at Downtown Disney, the afternoon at the pool, and the evening flying back to Atlanta.

WHAT A GREAT TRIP!! Now that we have refreshed our minds, we are eager to get back to our Ariel. This coming weekend is 4th of July and we are planning on taking our Ariel out for a couple of days. Lots to do to get ready.

Windex 15

2010-06-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

Our Gemini 3200 is a sailboat and it is important for us to know the direction of the wind, as it relates to our boat. One piece of existing equipment, on the boat, that give us wind directional and speed information is our Horizon Wind Indicator. However, the information from the Horizon is not always correct and is hard to see from our cockpit.

Based on the recommendation from Dick at Sail Harbor Marina, we had the boatyard install a new Windex 15 on the top of the mast. The cost was around $50.

With the new windex, existing Horizon instrument, our flag, and coupled with some homemade telltales made from vhf tape we should always know the wind direction.

Masthead/Steaming Light

2010-06-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

USCG navigation light requirements for any recreational boat under 12 meters (39 feet) include a red port sidelight - visible 1nm, green starboard sidelight - visible 1nm, white stern light - visible 1nm, white 360 degree anchor light - visible 1nm, and white masthead/steaming -visible 2nm. When we stepped the mast back in April, we found that our masthead/steaming light was non-existent, only bare wires. (For anyone not familar with a sailboat, the masthead/steaming light is not on top of the mast, but about 1/3 the way up the mast.) Given that we had to buy a new light, we investigated installing a combination LED masthead/steaming/deck light fixture. The cost for a new LED light fixture was way out of our budget, so we purchased a Forespar Combination Steaming/Deck light.

The Forespar light was chosen, because of the rugged construction, ease of changing the light bulb, and price. We had the boatyard install the light, while the mast was down. Now all we have to do is wire it to our Gemini 3200's DC electrical panel.

No Savannah This Weekend

2010-06-25T08:00:00.008-04:00

Unlike every weekend for the past 6, we are not making our way down to Savannah to work on the boat. We are still in Orlando enjoying all things Disney. We trust Ariel, our sailboat, doesn't mind us staying and playing a bit longer. We visited her namesake yesterday, Princess Ariel, and she said to pass along a warm ocean hug.

This hiatus, 2 days, from the boat and journey preparation has already produced some clarity around truly important tasks. We may have been a bit too close to the work ... focusing on task after task after task, rather than the big picture. At times, one must come up, survey the landscape, and then go back down. This pause is a good one. Not only has it produced some clarity, but it has further energized our efforts. It is like walking across the desert. Those who make it the furthest the fastest are those whom stop at the oases along the way.

Mousing Around Boats

2010-06-24T08:00:00.004-04:00

Work has me in Orlando today, so the family has decided to stop all boat related activities, fly down to see me (thank you Frequent Flier Mileage!), and we are all going to Disney's Magic Kingdom!

Dy gets in free, and that's good .... but Val, KJ, and I still have to pony up the money. Like many other families, we really enjoy the Magic Kingdom. It is a wonderful place, and I totally revert back to being a full on kid. My favorite attraction is the Haunted Mansion. KJ's is the castle (we end up hanging around it a lot since KJ wants to see a glimpse of a princess coming out).

One of our Magic Kingdom rituals is to enter the park as soon as it opens and immediately find an Ice Cream vendor. We then proceed to buy giant chocolate Mickey Mouse ice creams and parade through the park gregariously eating them like royalty. Ice Cream so early in the morning adds to the magic of the place. Plus, the looks from other families (and you can imagine those based on the role of the observer) is priceless.

Our pilgrimage to this place is yearly. Once we set off on our journey, however, that won't be the case. That is, in 2011 we won't be visiting Mr. Mouse. However, we do formally plan on being back in 2012 to drink up all that is Disney in Orlando.

It is Mouse Time!

Life Modes With A Boat

2010-06-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, the entire family enjoyed 3 days on the boat. With each moment aboard, we feel more of life, the life. The life of enjoying each moment on its own merit, the life of an unhurried pace, the life of caring for ones place of residence not just for sleep but for physical safety, the life of being so close to nature, the life of flowing with the tides, and the life of being. The shift in attitude between being a professional, modern world denizen, with many parts of life abstracted away to one of a water dweller whose focus is on simplicity is quite profound and it has taken me a few days just to reconcile.

The responsibilities are still present in both worlds, but the hurdle of what constitutes importance changes: on the boat, fewer of life's tasks are deemed as “important.” When one tries to artificially inflate the importance of an effort, the effort pushes back and slows everything down. There is a pace to boat life, and it will not be altered. The consequence is that those tasks marked as important get more of the present moment focus and each one is more fully enjoyed.

After the 3 days, we drove back to Atlanta and that evening I boarded a plane for a work trip to Orlando. There was no grace or warming up period. I jumped from one extreme to the other and this made the contrast between the 2 types of life, and how it manifests within me, clear. My mood, my thoughts, my food, and my drink all are complex and wrapped in artificial (read: man made) importance in the non-boat world. Given societies machinery, non-natural stimulus for importance is intrinsic to its functioning and has its place. The bigger question for me is, do I have a place within it? At times yes, and other times no. Today, I am straddling both worlds.

Soldering Iron - Its Many Uses

2010-06-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Before the boat, we had a project car called Blue Moon Dune. She is an Allison Daytona Beach Dune Buggy on a 1965 VW pan. We sold her back in May 2009, in preparation for our sailing adventure. One piece of equipment that we purchased for working on Blue Moon Dune was a soldering iron. Now that same soldering iron is being utilized on projects for our Gemini 3200. We won't be using it on anything electrical, because the solder is not marine environment friendly. We have however, used it to cut Sunbrella fabric, sail cloth, twine for the lifelines, searing the ends of the lifeline netting, lines, shock cords, and anywhere you would need a hot knife. It has worked great and the nice thing is that it was a piece of equipment that we already had.

We are always looking for multiple ways to utilize existing tools, equipment, and anything that will be put on the boat.

Igloo Water Cooler For Boat People Hydration

2010-06-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Our plan, for the family daily drinking water, was to have a gallon jug of water out every day that family members can use to fill their individual cups as needed. Alas, the thought of KJ, let alone little Dy, trying to pour from a gallon water jug into cups on a rocking boat just doesn't seem reasonable.

While roaming the aisles of Costco, our water dispenser concern was addressed: the mighty Igloo 5 gallon water cooler appeared!

These containers are tough and very easy for little ones to dispense water from. I recall these brutes from various sporting events I've participated in, and I love how easy it is to just push a button to get the water out.

We checked out the prices on line and found the one at Costco, for $29.99, to be a great price.

Welcome, mighty orange 5 gallon Igloo dispenser, to the Sailboat Family! You are going on an amazing journey!

Fathers Day On The Water

2010-06-20T08:00:00.004-04:00

Ahhh, amazing .... nothing like waking up on fathers day and having 2 beautiful daughters give you kisses and hugs and boatmade Fathers day cards. Yes, this fathers day, I've woken up on the boat. This is my first fathers day afloat, and it feels oh so good.

The past two days we got a lot done on the boat. 2 more cushions in, radar system is getting closer to operational, supplies loaded, stuff organized, radios tested, generator fitted, and more. We will be spending the next hour or so cleaning up the boat and then we will be back on our way to Atlanta.

The "YESification" process continues full bore.

State Of Perfection

2010-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

The journey towards our new life has solidified a number of new perspectives for me. One of them is around "perfection", "a state of perfection", and "ideal" versus a "goal state."

There is a subtle distinction between internally identifying something as an "ideal" and identifying something as a "goal." I'm defining an "ideal state" or "state of perfection" as some ultimate, correct, form. A "goal state" is just a form that you would like to turn into.

For many years, I measured myself against some ideal. An ideal that I had concocted in my head. Some of the attributes of ideal were consciously added, others unconsciously. For example, an ideal that latched itself onto my psyche somewhere along the line is that the ideal state, or perfect state, of earning a living is entering the corporate workforce and becoming an executive. This, I believed, is perfection. This, I believed, is the ultimate state as it relates to working. This, I believed, is what every other working path should be measured against. I was wrong. Being in the corporate workforce, and becoming an executive, is an electable goal, but isn't a state of perfection in the vein of work. It may be a goal state, but it isn't the gold standard.

Another way to view this is by looking at a tree. What does the ideal form of a tree look like? Short of thinking "there isn't an ideal" (the point I'm trying to convey), for any ideal image you mentally create for a tree, I would ask "says who?" Is there some ideal state that every tree is measured against? Who concocted the definition of the perfect tree?

Every person is on their own path, and one must be very careful to not put a state of perfection before themselves. One mustn't have more of this, less of that. One may chose to have a goal state that possesses less of this and less of that. The two views are very different. In my world, there is no state of perfection, only goal states.

Time to return to working on the radar.

Back to Savannah for Boat Time

2010-06-18T08:00:00.004-04:00

This seems like a re-occurring theme for our Friday posts, but we are back on the road to Savannah! More boat time!

The car is packed with our new generator, clothes, new cushions, toys and more. We are also taking our portable air conditioner to help cool off the boat at the dock. We saw a lot of other boats at the marina using portable ACs, so we thought we would try ours.

You may recall we had an AC in the boat when we bought her last year, but it was heavy, it didn't work very well, and it took up a lot of valuable space so we took it out. Our little portable 9,000 BTU LG unit does great, so we shall see. I'm curious to see if running it trips the dock side circuit breaker or not.

Each trip brings us closer to Yes!

Costs To Do Bottom Paint On A 32 Foot Catamaran Sailboat

2010-06-17T08:00:00.009-04:00

This week we received the bill for all the boat work done in Sail Harbor Marina's boatyard. We thought it would be helpful for others if we shared the portion of the costs related to all the bottom work. For reference, this was done on our 32 foot, Gemini 3200 Sailing Catamaran.

Labor:

Remove existing paint to the gel coat: 14 hours and a total cost of $1,400

Repair blisters and apply 4 barrier coats: 19.25 hours and a total cost of $1,155

Paint bottom (first coat red, second black): 8.5 hours and a total cost of $510

Materials:

4 gallons of Interprotect 2000 for a cost of $387.40

1.25 gallons of Pettit SR60 (red) for a cost of $300.00

1.25 gallons of Pettit SR60 (black) for a cost of $300.00

2.5 gallons vinyl ester resin for a cost of $187.50

1.0 gallon of Interlux 830 Fast Cure Epoxy Profiling Filler for a cost of $123.00

10 x 40 grit 6 inch sanding disks for a cost of $15.00

8 x 80 grit 6 inch sanding disks for a cost of $12.00

6 x dust masks for a cost of $4.50

18 pairs of gloves for a cost of $13.50

2 x Tyvex suits for a cost of $16.50

1 x roll of fine line tape for a cost of $14.50

2 x roller pans and frame for a cost of $10.00

8 x roller covers for a cost of $42.40

4 x large cups for a cost of $8.00

4 x small cups for a cost of $2.00

6 x 2 inch brushes for a cost of $7.50

4 x 3 inch brushes for a cost of $8.60

Grand Total for Bottom Work: $4,517.40!

Honda EU2000i Companion Generator Ordered

2010-06-16T08:00:00.001-04:00

YEAH!! We have finally purchased our Honda EU2000i companion generator for the boat. The generator will serve as our battery charing system when the solar panels can't keep up and when we are not in marinas.

Way back when Bill and I decided on the EU2000, I joined the Honda Generator Yahoo users group, I studied how people were using them for extended running, what modifications they were making to them, as well as the best place to buy one for the best price.

From the Yahoo user group, I became aware of a subtle difference in the EU2000 line. We learned we wanted the one called the "companion generator" which features a 30amp plug. Since the generator has a 30amp plug we can use our existing shore power cord to connect the generator to the boat via the shore power outlet. Therefore, we can run anything on our A/C power panels, even while at anchor. For those interested, the 30amp connector doesn't mean the generator produces 30 amps, it just fits a 30amp plug. The amperage count is 16.7. To get 30 amps, one could put 2 of the Honda EU2000s together (they are designed for such operation).

We purchased our Honda EU2000i companion generator from Mayberry's for $999. They had the best price and received good marks from the various forum postings. This priced included the generator, shipping, and insurance. It also included a service kit for the generator, spark plug and air filters for free! The companion is about $100 more than the EU2000i, but having the ability to connect and power the boat's A/C panel directly is worth it to us.

Our virtual friends at www.ZeroToCruising.com are still looking to source their Honda generator, and maybe Mayberry's will ship way up there to the north!

Family Trip to Health Clinic for Yellow Fever and Typhoid Vaccination Costs + Advice

2010-06-15T08:00:00.006-04:00

We received a call from a worker at a health clinic that Val had befriended. The clinic had just gotten in a batch of Yellow Fever vaccinations and that we had better get there soon. First thing the next morning, we were all on our way, the entire clan. The clinic opened at 8:15, and we were there at 8:10.

Lesson 1: The quantities of the Yellow Fever vaccinations are very limited. First dips always goes to the military, and then the rest is dolled out to clinics in a region. Make friends with someone at the clinic so they will call you when doses arrive.

As the first people in the vaccinations portion of the clinic, we thought it would be fairly quick event. Alas, it wasn't. We proceeded to wait for 1 hour before being called back! Yes, 1 full hour and we were not only the first, but the only people there!!!!

Lesson 2: Be ready to wait a long time .... even if you are the first and only people there.

When we finally made it back, we met with the travel nurse. We shared with her that we were in to get some Yellow Fever vaccinations. She proceeded to ask us a serious of questions. The first one, "Where are you going?" Ah, that was easy, "We are going around the world." She gave a queer look. "I need a specific place please." I knew this was going to be an experience, but I wasn't ready for how mechanical it was going to be.

I looked at the world map on the wall and started reading off all the countries along the coast of Central and South America. The nurse dutifully typed them all in. With each one, she would pull back out sheets of information. At about country 5, I finally let the futility of the situation carry the next step. I said, "Look, we are just going to Brazil ... let's just do that one please." "Where in Brazil?" Ugh. So I looked at a map and named a city. "You don't need Yellow Fever for that one." Ugh. "Well, that is just our starting point, we plan on venturing deep into the Amazon river, and spend months and months there." "ohh, well then you definitely need Yellow Fever", she stated, "and you should get Typoid" (BONUS! We wanted that too, but were very focused on the limited quantity of the Yellow Fever vaccination).

Lesson 3: Find a specific place that requires you to have the shots you need, and simply go in with that on your agenda. Don't list every place.

Then she asked, "When are you leaving and when are you getting back?" At this point, I just made up dates. She was going by her script, and she was going to be very through (just as one would want a health care professional).

Val paid the fees: $110 per Yellow Fever shot, $60 per Typhoid shot, and $100 for the entire family consultation giving a grand total of $780.

I went first. KJ held my hand to comfort me watching everything close up. Next up was Val, KJ holding hands again. Then KJ. I had to hold her very still, and KJ braved the shots like a trooper. Next up Dy, she too did great. Sure, there were tears, but it was all good.

2 hours 30 minutes later, we were all done. The reality of the trip was made physical as all our arms were sore the entire day!

Oh, once we were done, there was only 1 Yellow Fever vaccination left for someone else and the clinic manager told us that another shipment wasn't due for 30 days.

Replacing a Steering Splash Well Plate on a Gemini 3200 Sailboat

2010-06-14T08:00:00.005-04:00

The Gemini 3200 has 2 outboard rudders. These rudders have a steering arm that pushes them from side to side. The plates in the splash well area that serve as the conduit for the steering arm from inside the boat to the outside comes from the factory made out of metal. On the starboard side of our sailboat, the splash well plate was horrendously rusty. Given the plates function, keeping outside water outside, this is a dangerous condition. So, this weekend I went for it and replaced it.

Val had done some research on the issue and found another Gemini owner whom made these fancy plates out of fiberglass. Val reached out and the guy was willing to make us 2 plates (I wanted one for each side of the boat) plus send us 2 new aluminum tubes that the steering rods run through. Awesome.

After reading, re-reading, and re-reading again all the instructions from Mr. Fiberglass Plate Maker, I sat with all the parts and mentally walked through how to do this. After thinking, "oh crap, I could really screw something up here" I decided to try one of the oldest tricks in the trade, I asked Val to produce each of the supporting items needed (the various sealants, grease tubes, nuts, bolts, washers). Alas, she produced everything. Oh well, time to do the job.

Getting out the old rusty plate wasn't easy. The sealant holding it on was pretty good. Getting the bolts out did end up requiring a good whack of a hammer. When the bolts were out, I still had to go back with a razor blade and cut away the old rubber sealant to break free the old plate.

Once the old assembly was freed, I opened up the new stuff.

The aluminum tube was packed with grease. Not just any grease, but that unbelievably sticky get all over the place, even ones underwear, black stuff. With black grease all over, I was able to secure the new assembly into place, and put the new backing plate on. I had to re-drill the plate holes (drilling holes in the boat is uncomfortable), and dry fit the system. The unit was nice and snug!

Taking everything apart, I then loaded up all the surfaces with sealant. Every nut, bolt, washer, connecting surface .... everything. I then had 5 minutes before the stuff would start to cure so it was then a race to put it all back in. Within about 7 minutes, it was all back together.

With everything in place, and the curing having started, I decided to go back over all the surfaces exposed with more sealant. I recovered every exposed nut and bolt. One can't have too much sealant!

The entire effort took about 2 hours. Not bad for a rookie! But it got h-o-t. I started at 9:00am and by 11am it was already 93 degrees out.

Now it is time to wash off that old rust stain!

Should We Sail Away Today?

2010-06-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

We spent Friday night on the boat. It was glorious! The sounds, the smells, the relaxation, the new life. Ariel is getting closer and closer to being ready.

With our sailboat on the Atlantic ocean, the big question, “Should We Sail Away Today?”, gets more action. Each morning, Val and I look each other in the eye and make a conscious choice that day about sailing off in the sunset.

When we started the journey back in 2007, we thought it wouldn't be until 2016 that we could go. Over the past 3 years, however, we've learned that in actuality we can go at any time. One by one, a myriad of false assumptions have been stripped away (amount of money, type of boat, age of kids, etc.).

Many mornings, when we talk of the big question, I ask myself, “in one year from today, if I found out I was going to die within a week, would I rather have spent the previous year working a bit longer or embarking on this journey to sail around the world?” Easy answer. This mental exercise helps set the stage for the bigger question.

So, Should We Sail Away Today? Not today. There are a few more modifications to the sailboat that we want to make before we go. But once those are done, then the probability of answering “YES!” on any given morning goes up a lot. … and the blog post of that day, the “YES!” day, will be quite spectacular to say the least!

Happy Sunday everyone. We're working on "YESifying" Ariel.

Boat Composting Toilet/Head Conversion Page

2010-06-12T08:00:00.005-04:00

One of the more popular blog entry series on our site is related to our composting toilet conversion posts. Alas, some of those interested in the topic have emailed us sharing that they find it difficult to pull together the posts in a cogent manner.

We've decided we would remedy this by building out a project page that captures all the steps, images, and stages in one place. The full transformation, from a liquid toilet system to a dry one, would be documented.

So, without further ado, here is the composting toilet/head project page:

http://www.sailboatfamily.com/BoatCompostingToiletHeadConversion.php

For those searching on the topic of converting from a traditional boat head to a composting one, we believe this new page will be a valuable resource for you.

Abby Sunderland and Back to Savannah GA to work on the Sailboat

2010-06-11T08:00:00.002-04:00

This morning we were grateful to learn that Abby Sunderland has been found and that she is fine. Her sailboat, Wild Eyes, is upright but her mast has been knocked down.

We have been tracking Abby and her quest since its start so when we learned of her being feared as "lost at sea", our hearts and best thoughts went to her. Val and I had it in the back of our minds that Abby would be found, but we couldn't tell if that was hope or intuition. Fortunately, Abby has been found and she is safe. Yay Abby!

We commend those taking bold quests. Bold quests stretch the soul of the individual and of mankind. We know the fervor of "she is too young" is about to whip up (and probably already is), and we know the fervor of "sailing around the world is too dangerous for kids" is about to be stoked. Life, itself, is an adventure. Those whom don't get this are already dead.

Young people have been taking adventures since they could venture past the cave hole. Adventurous young people serve as inspiration for so many others, both young and old. Was Abby in danger? Yes. She was in a danger of her, and her parents, choosing. She was well equipped and well prepared. I don't know too many 16 year olds that can have the same thing said about them and their daily lives.

With Ariel in the water, it is doubly hard to resist seeing her on the weekends; we want to spend every extra moment we can on her getting her prepared. The sooner she is ready, the sooner we would be able to go on the sailing trip. To this end, I've taken today off from work and we are on our way to Savannah to make some progress on the boat. This weekends tasks include putting the boom back on, getting the sails back up, install the new splash well plates, get the engine running (it hasn't been started in over a month), and begin installing the radar system.

Of course, the draw of the beach will be strong. Tybee island is only about 20 minutes from the boat so KJ, Dy, and I may make our way over for a few hours. This will allow Val some quality uninterrupted time on the boat.

Interestingly, with the news reports of the BP oil spill in the gulf, there seems to be a push by vacationers to make their way to the Atlantic for their summer holiday and Savannah/Tybee island seems to be one of the more popular destinations. We may see lots of folks in the area!

Oh yeah, Yeah Abby! Go Abby!

Tropical View Year-Around for $11

2010-06-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

On a boat it is hard to have artwork made out of paper, canvas, and cloth, because of the dampness. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Jen, I discovered beautiful artwork that can hold up t0 the marine environment. Vinyl Decal artwork!

We wanted the interior of Ariel to be tropical and fresh. I think that the artwork helps. What do you think? It almost looks like windows looking out on Tahiti.

We picked up the vinyl decal at Hobby Lobby for $11, including tax. The artwork is total safe for walls, wood, glass, fiberglass, and almost any surface. There are thousand of designs. We are going to purchase the Disney Princesses and Fairies for the girls' cabin.

Great Omens - Sunset - Sunrise

2010-06-09T08:00:00.006-04:00

On Friday, once Ariel was splashed into the Atlantic, I decided to get some food and bring it back to the boat. I was glad that I did, because I got to see something wonderful. While sitting in the cockpit, eating my McDonald's hamburger, I heard a "poof" of air and then I heard it again. It was getting closer. I looked off the stern of the boat and there was a small dolphin. It came right up to Ariel and swam along the side, as if it was doing an inspection and saying welcome to the neighborhood.

The sunset on Friday was beautiful. That night I got a great light show as thunderstorms moved through the area. I didn't go to sleep until after midnight and was up before the sunrise.

The first evening and morning on Ariel were truly magical. Foreshadowing things to come! Life is good!

Ariel Makes a SPLASH!!

2010-06-08T08:00:00.007-04:00

Friday, I drove out to Savannah to spend some quality time with Ariel, alone. I arrived at Sail Harbor Marina around 2:30pm and took a moment to check out the progress since our last visit. To my surprise, Paul (one of the boatyard guys) told me that our Gemini 3200 will be put into the water at 4pm. This gave me just enough time to check on a couple of things, prepare the dock lines, and fenders. Promptly at 4pm, the travel lift came over picked up Ariel and put her into the water. This took a total of 10 minutes and occurred during a thunderstorm.

The boatyard guys put her into the water with confidence and ease. They tied her up on the dock and that's where we spent the night. Just me and Ariel. It was great!!

We are officially now in the Atlantic! One step closer to our adventure.

Trojan 6V 145s Installed In Boat!

2010-06-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

On May 30th, one of those "must do" tasks was completed but I couldn't claim success quite yet. I had installed the new Trojan batteries but I needed the system to run for a week to be sure it worked right.

In one of the photos you can see the 5.5 year old swollen SeaVolt 115 batteries on the left, and the beautiful new T-145s stacked neatly on the right.

The batteries were very heavy; I'm so glad I went with the 6Vs as recommended by the Living Aboard members.

With one final double check of the connections, I deemed that the batteries were in. Switching from battery bank 1 to bank 2 to both to off, while operating the electronic equipment gave a quick and dirty proof of correct wiring. I also put a Volt meter on the wires and it showed the proper numbers.

Now that it is a week later, I can proclaim the transplant was a success! The batteries show a full charge (receiving charge from both the solar panel system and from the dock side plug in), all instruments work, and the event feels positive! :)

Yeah!

Hepatitis A& B and Yellow Fever Vaccinations

2010-06-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

I recently went in for the I'm almost 40 years old physical. While talking to my doctor, I shared our adventure plans. The doctor) asked about my vaccinations and if they were up-to-date. After a little discussion it was determined that I needed a tetanus booster and that the doctor would order blood work to determine if I had any immunity to Hepatitis A &B.

The tetanus booster ended up being Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis). My blood work showed that I had no immunity to Hepatitis A nor Hepatitis B. So, this past Thursday, I started my Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccination series. I received two shots, one in each arm. I was a real trooper, the girls watched. To our good fortune, the Hepatitis A & B vaccinations were provided by our health insurance company for free. We love Kaiser!

I've also been searching for a provider for the Yellow Fever vaccination. The local travel clinics want $250 per person, for the vaccination. I thought, "WOW! That's a lot of money for a vaccination". After a little more research, I discovered that our local health department also offers the Yellow Fever vaccination. The health department's price to vaccinate our entire family is $540, which includes a $100 consultation fee. I guess the extra $460 that the travel clinic would have charged us was for the convenience. We will not be paying for the convenience.

Extending The Sailing Trip's Timeline

2010-06-05T08:00:00.007-04:00

"Just looking at your route map on your website. I could have sworn it used to be a four or five year plan, did your family recently change it to the 9-10 year plan? Looks like a really long-term commitment!"

On June 2, 2010 at 11:02, Stacey posted this question and the answer warrants a full response.

When we first posted our route page, we expected to take 4 or 5 years to mosey around the planet. As we've grown our knowledge, we've mentally adjusted the route to accommodate some new desires and to have an even more leisurely pace. What I didn't do is keep the route page updated to reflect our current thinking and planning. A couple of weeks ago, I sat down and captured the latest route in graphical form and uploaded it.

One of the bigger adjustments, for example, is that we want to spend more time in Central America when we first head out. Another notable change is that we are by passing Australia and using New Zealand as a home base for the region. We shared in our New Zealand blog post that we can stay 6 months exploring, and we plan to do just that. Lastly, in 2012, we want to be back in the USA to take our children to Walt Disney World. We want to give them one big Disney experience, when they are both of an age to remember it as well as have it be magical (fairies, princesses, and castles!).

The caveat to the entire trip is, we will just go with the flow. We are committed to the trip, not the timeline. We will go as, when, and where the winds, weather, and our desires propel us. No faster, no slower. The map really is a guide post to help us prepare.

Thanks for asking Stacey. Great questions/observation.

Vinyl Lettering Installed

2010-06-04T08:00:00.003-04:00

On our most recent visit to Savannah, we installed new vinyl lettering on our Gemini 3200. During the planning process, Bill indicated that he preferred "BIG," bold, simple letters. When we ordered the vinyl, we ordered the letters with a height of 18", in plain black, Arial text. Well the letters are BIG! Do you think that others will be able to read our boat's name?;)

The letters were so big that it took both of us to install the lettering. Bill positioned the lettering while I smoothed and removed bubbles. We work great as a team. Thanks to virtual crew member Joe for the tip on using windex to keep the lettering movable until we had it positioned the way we wanted it.

Here are some more pictures of the installation.

New LED Tri/Anchor Light Installed

2010-06-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Our Gemini 3200 needed a new TriAnchor light, because our existing light was broken. We elected to upgraded to an Orca Green LED TriAnchor light with photodiode. The Ocra Green was chosen, because its durable and waterproof construction, LED bulb for its low amp draw of 0.5 amp at 12v, and the photodiode to turn off the anchor light in case we forget. The light was purchased from Sailor's Solutions for $390 (with shipping) and included our choice of mounting bracket. We had the light shipped directly to Sail Harbor Marina.

The boatyard at Sail Harbor Marina has already installed the new light on top of the mast and it looks great!

Composting Marine Toilet Conversion-Completed

2010-06-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Once the 3" Nicro Day/Night Plus Solar Vent was installed by Sail Harbor Marina and Boatyard, all that was left to do was to connect the hose to the vent and add the peat moss. Sounds simple right? It was simple after I noodled how to get the 1 1/2" hose to fit the 3" opening on the solar vent. I went out to Nature's Head's web site to see if they had an adapter or instructions that would help. They showed an adapter that came with my unit, but in it's original state would not work with our vent since the vent protruded below the ceiling. Using the "Contact Us" function on Nature's Head's web site, I sent an email asking for assistance. Within 24 hours I received an email from Larry at Nature's Head asking for my phone number so that we could talk. I sent Larry my phone number on Friday afternoon and didn't expect to he from him until after the Memorial Day holiday. To my astonishment, I receive a call from Larry on Saturday. We discussed the situation and come up with a solution together.

The solution was to trim the adapter that came with the unit down to fit the vent's opening. The Nicro Day/Night Plus Solar Vent has tabs on the inside, of the vent, for an insect screen. I trimmed the adapter down to size and notched out two notches for the tabs. After some tedious machining (trimming) using my Dremel, the adapter fit. I removed the adapter, connected the hose, place the adapter back on the vent, and checked if I could feel air being pulled out via the hose. SUCCESS!!

The last step was adding the peat moss. I added peat moss until the agitator could just barely touch it. Then I added water until the peat moss was a little moist.

Approximately, 6 months after starting this project it is complete!! YEAH!!!! (The only reason that we didn't complete this project earlier was we had more pressing projects, like getting the boat transported,etc.)

Nicro Day/Night Plus Solar Vents Installed

2010-06-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

Sail Harbor Marina and Boatyard installed the 3 Nicro Day/Night Plus Solar Vents (2-4" vents and 1- 3" vent) that we had previously purchased.

We had the two 4" vents installed in the hatches at the galley and the head. The galley vent is an intake vent, while the vent located in the head is exhaust. Each of the 4" vents moves 1000 cubic feet of air per hour, which should be more than sufficient in keeping the air moving on our Gemini 3200. When we reviewed the installation of the vents, we noticed that the vent in the head was not working. After a little trouble-shooting, it was determined that the battery that came with the unit was bad. A replace battery is now on our "Need To Purchase" list.

The 3" vent was installed as an exhaust vent for our Nature's Head Composting Toilet, where the old pump out fitting was located (This is the 6th of 7 steps).

BTW:

**SAILRITE COUPON** I received an email this weekend from Sailrite with there latest deal. "Purchase an Ultrafeed Sewing Machine (#102500, 102600, 102700, 102800) from Sailrite between 5/28/2010 and 6/7/2010 and receive a free $100 Sailrite gift certificate for use on future orders."

Memorial Day - Remembering Sailors

2010-05-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

Today is Memorial Day; a day to remember the American service members whom died in the service of the United States of America. This day is a no work day for many American's, including all federal workers.

Sitting here, sipping my coffee, visions of an American cemetery in the Philippines floods my mind. Back in 2006, my job had me visit Manila and Cebu. While in Manila, I went to pay my respects to the fallen American military members buried there. I was unprepared for what I experienced.

What hit me was the magnitude of the number of crosses that marked each American entombed within the soil. There are over 17,000 of them, most sailors, whom lost their lives during World War II in and around the Philippines. When you see row after row after row of white crosses, you are struck by the savagery of war and the appreciation for how much is given for a cause.

Thank you to all service members, and their families, whom gave all to help secure the freedoms I now enjoy. I will not disrespect what you've given up by wasting a single moment of my freedom.

The Plastiki Expedition - Voyages of a Bottled Catamaran

2010-05-30T08:00:00.002-04:00

So, um, where does one begin ...

In about 3 weeks, a catamaran made of 12,500 used plastic bottles will arrive in Sydney Australia after traveling 11,000 some odd miles! It departed from San Francisco California USA 72 days ago.

The odyssey is called The Plastiki Expedition. The people involved are raising awareness about being eco-friendly, especially towards the ocean. They have a blog and a number of interesting facts on their site.

You can track their "real time" position on their Track The Voyage page.

Here are some quickie tidbits regarding the boat and the expedition:

length is 60 feet
beam is 23 feet
usage of a urine-to-water recovery system (does that make it pee bottle?)
voyage to take about 3 months
there are 6 crew members
used organic glue made from cashews and sugar cane to hold it together

Go Plastiki!

(Yes, the name Plastiki is a reference to Kon-Tiki voyage back in the late 40s by the amazing Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl.)

Living On Purpose

2010-05-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have a purpose, a reason for being, a goal and aim in life. It is a purpose that helps guide my every action.

My formal purpose statement is: To Remain Awake, and to Awaken The Remaining.

This statement summarizes how I feel about life.

Too many things in society are hypnotic and we become entranced by it, forgetting that we own our lives and can live it on our terms. Thus, I must remain awake.

There are not only parts of myself that still need to be awakened, but I receive tremendous joy in awakening others, and watching how their "awakenedness" manifests and cascades back through all of life. Thus, I will awaken the remaining ... not only in my self, but in all those I can touch.

This living with a purpose has manifested into the public sharing of SailboatFamily. This site keeps me awake, and allows me to awaken the remaining.

Thank you to everyone whom reads this blog; you allow me to live my purpose.

Trojan 6v T-145 In Hand

2010-05-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I picked up the four new Trojan T-145 batteries we had ordered through Specialty Car Company, Stone Mountain, GA. I feel fortunate to have found the batteries and a company that provided me with excellent customer service, especially since I was an one-off customer. All of the other Trojan dealers in Georgia and South Carolina, that I talked to (which was everyone listed on the Trojan web site), told me that they did not carry the T-145 and ended the conversation. Jim at Specialty Car Company did the opposite, he told me when he could have the batteries and the price. How refreshing!

Our total cost for 4 new house bank batteries was $633. A great price and less than we had budgeted!

Lifeline Netting Installation

2010-05-27T08:00:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, while in Savannah, we installed the lifeline netting purchased from On Deck Sports. The installation took approximately 2 hours. This short installation time is directly attributed to the construction of the netting. As mentioned in a previous post about the lifeline netting, it is trimmed with rope and has 2 stainless steel spring clips on each end. This made the installation easier, as we could see how the netting was going to fall before we started tying it to the stanchions and lifelines.

Our Gemini 3200 is 31'6" long. We purchased two 2'x40' nets, because we wanted the bow and most of the stern to be covered.

Installation began on the aft starboard side. We secured the netting to the lifelines and stanchions with a UV protected, poly twine and some simple to tie, but hard to untie knots. We melted the ends of the cut twine with a lighter. This will keep the twine from fraying. If we ever need to take down the netting, we can cut the twine.

The first 40' of netting ended almost in the middle of the bow. We clipped the second lifeline netting via the spring clips to the first and continued the netting down the port side to the stern. When it's time to anchor, we simply have to unclip the netting, anchor, and reclip the netting.

The deck of the boat is now 95% encapsulated by the lifeline netting. The only portion of the boat that is not covered, is the stern were our Honda outboard is located.

I now feel more comfortable with Dy being on deck. Before, I was afraid that she would slip through the lifelines and off the boat. The peace of mind is worth a ton more than the $100 for the netting and the 2 hours to install it.

Sailing to Easter Island - The BIG Heads

2010-05-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Back in 2007, Val and I made a conscious choice about our mode of travel as we meander around the planet. One of the drivers to the choice of using a sailboat was our desire to make our way to Easter Island. It holds a special place of enchantment for both of us.

The Polynesian name for Easter Island is Rapa Nui or Big Rapa. It rests some 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile and it will serve as our farthest reaching ocean run. We estimate that it will take us some 25 days to make the journey from Chile. Nearly a month! The Easter Island run will be a true test.

Easter Island is one of the worlds most isolated inhabited islands. It is also home to the massive stone statues called Moai. We think so much of these Big Heads that we have a nice, small, 150 pound one in our apartment to greet guests. His name is Fred ... Fred's Head. In the winter time, Fred's head serves as the place for our hats.

From what we can gather, when we visit the island, the best place to tie up is in a small harbor called Hanga Pikio, on the west coast. However, to get inside, we will need to hire a local pilot to help guide us in. In 2008, the harbor usage fee was $150.00 (US). It should also be noted that due to the conditions inside the harbor, it is truly a choreographed effort to get in and out when other boats are anchored up in the harbor. It get's worse, only monohulls less than 36 feet are allowed in, so we will have to anchor around the island! This means shifting locations as the wind shifts. Here is an excellent Easter Island anchorage guide: Easter Island Anchor Guide by Bruce Balan and Alene D. Rice of Cross 46 trimaran "Migration."

The calmest seas, and lightest winds, occur from mid-November to mid-February. That will be the window we will be aiming for.

Arctic Solo Sail

2010-05-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I became aware of a blog about a guy, Captain Tommy D. Cook, whom is setting out to brave the Northwest passage alone! His website, Arctic Solo Sail, details much of his preparation and journey. How does a 64 year old man prepare for the rigors of such an adventure?

After reading his blog post "A Minor Set Back", I decided to reach out to Captain Tommy. His blend of wisdom, philosophy, and attitude about life resonated. Add to all this his vast experience in boating, 44 years, and I just had to introduce myself.

When I checked on the Sailboat family email box later in the day, I was surprised to have a reply from Captain Tommy! Captain Tommy's email was very kind, and he shared the following with me:

"I sailed on a research vessel to the Antarctic in 1991 and on the mess deck was a poster with this saying: THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE IS NOT DETERMINED BY THE WAY YOU WISH THINGS WERE BUT BY HOW YOU DEAL WITH THE WAY THINGS ARE I adopted that as my life motto. It has held me in good stead a long way."

Right on Captain Tommy! Right ON!

I was in for one more surprise ... Captain Tommy bought us a round of ice cream! Thank you Captain Tommy!

You can bet our discussion during the ice cream indulgence will be around Captain Tommy and his adventure.

The world is full of amazing people. With each connection our family makes, the beautiful part of all of humankind becomes even more obvious to us. We are all connected.

Fair Winds Captain Tommy!

Productive Weekend in Savannah

2010-05-24T08:00:00.006-04:00

Hi Everyone! We had a very productive weekend in Savannah. The visit was to inspect the work of Sail Harbor Marina and Boatyard on our Gemini 3200, install the vinyl lettering, install the lifeline netting, and about 15 other boat related tasks.

We are very happy with Sail Harbor Marina and Boatyard. They have, so far, done excellent work on our Gemini 3200. The bottom of Ariel has been completely transformed from a void ridden gel coat to a smooth, protected surface. The picture on the top was taken after the old bottom paint was removed. Notice all of the small voids in the gel coat. Sail Harbor Boatyard faired out the surface, thus filling in the void with a fiberglass fairing compound. They then painted the bottom with 4 coats of Interprotect 2000E and 2 coats Pettit Ultima SR-60. There is now a noticeable difference, in thickness, between the side of the hulls and where the bottom paint begins. The picture on the bottom shows smooth, protected hulls.

The boatyard also installed 3 Nicro Day/Night Plus Solar Vents, that we had previously purchased. Two of the vents are for cabin ventilation and the last vent, for composting toilet exhaust. Upon inspection, we noticed that one of the vents was not working. After a little trouble-shooting, we were able to determine that the rechargeable battery that came with the unit was no good. We simply removed the battery and the fan started immediately. A rechargeable battery for the unit is now on our need to purchase list.

The mast is almost ready to be stepped. The boatyard has installed the new LED tri/anchor light, steaming/deck light, and windex wind instrument. All of the standing rigging had been inspected, using a liquid that highlight any cracks/fractures. All of the rigging checked out okay. Yeah, because it would have been expensive to replace and a big hit to our budget.

Bill and I were able to install the vinyl lettering and the lifeline netting. We also completed several of the other tasks on our list and got to spend some time with the girls at Tybee Island Beach. What a GREAT weekend!

Build a Boat or Buy a Boat? The Plans

2010-05-23T08:00:00.004-04:00

The recent Living Abroad forum discussions on the topic of build vs buy, along with Tony's email, has prompted me to post my views on SailboatFamily for completeness.

The question at hand is, should you buy a boat or should you build a boat?

In the end it all depends on your goal. Is your goal to get on a boat and go? Or is your goal to build a boat? Sure, the latter can feed the former, but you are better off focusing on your numero uno priority.

The subtlety lies on the desire to build. Is your life transformation contingent upon building the boat?

If the building part isn't your goal, don't be seduced into building your boat. Don't let it creep in unless you're damn sure that is what you really what.

When we first entered into the lifestyle, Val and I talked long and hard about the building it ourselves approach. We reviewed lots of boat plans, talked about which ones to buy, which materials suited our needs, how the various layouts supported a family, how we would lease space to allow us to build the boat, how we would spend our weekends as a family working on it together, how we might have friends help out too, and then the glorious parade of the conveyance to the ocean once complete.

I have no doubt we could have done it, but then we would have missed 30 months of being on a boat. [This is assuming we could have put in 20 hours a week working on the boats construction, and completing the boat in about 2400 actual hours. This number, 2400 hours, is based on the build of a 50 foot catamaran by someone whom had done such things before. Actually, at 2400 hours, this example boat wasn't fully done. The boat still needed a few months more of work.]

Reflecting on what drove our thoughts around building, we imagined that by building we could feel the dream as it went along. We could feel it as we got our other life items in order. It would be the physical connection to the dream that would continue to pull us forward. It also appeared financially easier. We would pay as we go. If we needed timber, we would buy that piece of timber. If we couldn't afford to, then that piece of work would wait until we could.

From spending almost 3 years studying how best to enter into boating, it is our opinion that you are better off buying a used boat versus building one. Even if the boat isn't your perfect end state boat, getting a decent used one will get you on the water faster than building the equivalently sized boat. You can go out and learn, learn about you, boating, as well as the key features you will need for your style of boating.

We also surmise that the on ramp is cheaper with a used boat. When building your own, it isn't just the time you spend swinging the hammer, but the time spent in scouring materials and the cost of all the materials that must be factored in. When you buy a used boat, all the materials are there, and in place.

While it isn't as tangible, nor maybe as fun, we believe you are better off working some side part time job (in a boat yard if at all possible), collecting money for buying your boat rather than using your spare time to build a boat.

So unless your dream is building, don't do it. Friends don't let friends build.

Savannah Bound!

2010-05-22T08:00:00.005-04:00

Good morning! Today we are on the road to Savannah. This may be the last weekend that Ariel rests on the hard in 2010!

We are meeting with the boatyard operator, Dick Long, to go over the work we asked him to do. He handled a number of tasks for us like replacing one of the chain plates, replacing a protective cover in the splash well, stripping and painting the bottom, and more. If it all looks good, Mr. Long will be putting Ariel back on the water next week after a long 2 months of dry time!

The task list of what has to be done before Ariel is ready for a sail is still quite long however. Most of the remaining work consists of lots of small tasks (e.g. less than 2 hours per task), and runs the gamut. To get a sense of the range, here are a few of work pieces Val and I will be attacking: installing the new batteries, putting the lettering on the side of the boat, installing the lifeline netting, adding Stabil to the fuel system, and posting the Coast Guard required sewage dumping stickers.

There is a lot of stuff we are carrying out to the boat today. In the photo you can see some of the stuff we are driving out. We have the main sail, head sail, the bimini, a stuffed animal (KJ's dachshund :) ), and so much more with us.

This will be a very very busy weekend. It is unlikely that we will get everything done we need to so that we can go sailing next weekend, but we will try!

Boat Building and Connections Across The Internet Ocean

2010-05-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

Last week I received a very nice email from a Living with a Purpose type guy named Tony Bigras. Some folks may recognize his name as he has a good internet presence, documenting his journey constructing boats and selling them.

Tony has constructed a handful of boats, and literally invested tens of thousands of hours thinking about them and creating them. Truly a remarkable guy, marching to his own drum. For a hint at what this guy is all about, his website is: www.IdeaIntegrator.com. The story of why Tony reached out to me is neat and shows the power of the Internet as a way to connect.

On my favorite boating forum, LivingAboard, I was publicly sharing my opinions about the merits of building your own boat versus buying. One of the example cases under discussion happened to be one of Tony's efforts, his 50 foot catamaran named Osram VII. Tony had seen the Internet traffic to his website from the LivingAboard forum, so he came and checked out the forum thread. Therein he saw my posts about my stance on build versus buy and he then came over to www.SailboatFamily.com!

Tony reviewed enough of our site to offer me some advice about the boat we have. From his perspective, it isn't the right type of boat for anything more than coastal cruising and that it isn't right for the around the world voyage we plan to make. He also noted things like load capacity, stuff we've blogged about before.

Tony's email was gracious and genuine. I'm grateful he took the time to send us an email, make the contact, and offer his take on things. What a cool guy.

We still plan on our slow meander along the coasts and make a few of the long, multi-day jumps as required. As I shared with Tony, if we suspect a boat integrity problem we will course correct.

Thank you, Tony, for reaching out.

Lanier Sailing Academy/ Pensacola Yacht Charter

2010-05-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

Recently I took a coastal cruising and bareboat charter certifications through American Sailing Association. Both certifications were part of a 6 day/5 night class, held in Pensacola, FL by Lanier Sailing Academy. The Pensacola branch of Lanier Sailing Academy is co-owned and operated by Kathy and John Struchen, who are wonderful people. In 2007, 2008, and 2009, John was named as one of American Sailing Association's Outstanding Instructors (award was based on student evaluations submitted to ASA). Kathy and John also co-own Pensacola Yacht Charters and I can tell you from first-hand experience that these yachts are meticulously maintained.

If you are going to be in the Pensacola area and want to take a sailing class, do bareboat charter, charter a captained yacht, or take an ecological tour, then contact Kathy and John. They will take great care of you and your family.

If you stop by and see Kathy, John, or Tony, please tell them that Val says, HI!

Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter Certifications Part 3 of 3

2010-05-19T08:00:00.012-04:00

Part 3 of Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter Certifications is a continuation of the blogs from Monday and Tuesday, of this week.

First thing Friday morning, we had our Bareboat Charter exam. After the exam and a short discussion with Kathy, we were out sailing. This time Kathy (the instructor) was just along for the ride. Since I was navigator today, she had given me a couple of points that we needed to visit and times ranges for the visits. It was up to me to get us there. This was our opportunity to demonstrate how much we had learned over the week and Kathy was not disappointed! Kathy had a couple of surprises for us along the way (i.e. man-overboard drills). We also got hands on experience filling the fuel tank and pumping out the holding tanks. Once we were back at the home marina, we packed up the left-over provisions, consolidated the dirty linens, and cleaned the inside of the boat (just like we would have to had done if we had charted the boat for the week).

That was it. We all said our goodbyes and I drove home to my family. What a great week and a great class! I felt comfortable in my sailing skills before the class, but now I feel like we can go coastal cruising anywhere! This class not only taught me new skills like weather, navigation, but it also honed my point-of-sail, sail trim, and man-overboard skills. I would recommend the class to anyone who wants to go coastal cruising.

Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter Certifications Part 2 of 3

2010-05-18T08:00:00.007-04:00

Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter Certification Part 2, is a continuation of the blog posted yesterday.

Wednesday morning I awoke to the roar of the waves on the other side of the island, calm water at our anchorage, and a beautiful sunrise. The morning's anchoring lesson was interrupted by Blue Angels' practice (in the picture below, the small looking diamond in the sky in the center of the photo just above the horizon is actually 4 Blue Angles jets!) After the impromptu air show and completion of anchoring practice, we piloted our way through the Inter-Coastal Waterway (ICW) to Perdido Bay. Once in the bay, we practiced a different type of man-overboard maneuver, heaving-to, points-of-sail, and sail trim. That night, we docked at Bear Point Marina, Orange Beach, AL. Dinner was at Flippers, a restaurant at the marina, where we enjoyed Royal Reds (shrimp) and dizzy Dolphins (rum drink). I was responsible for running rigging (1) all day, which was basically making sure that all of the sails were trimmed properly with the help of the other person on running rigging (2). I got a great, all day, bicep and back workout.

Thursday was my day at the helm! That morning Kathy informed us that conditions in the Gulf of Mexico were good, if we wanted to go out. Of course we wanted to sail in the Gulf of Mexico!! After safely leaving Bear Point Marina, we motored through the ICW to Bayou St. John and onto Perdido Pass. Navigating the channel was a little nerve racking because on both sides of the channel were shallows. If the boat had gotten outside of the channel, by just a little bit, we would have run-a-ground. Kathy, in fact, shared that this has happened to her students in the past. The last hurdle, before reaching the open water of the Gulf of Mexico, was the 54' bridge over Perdido Pass. Now some might say, "big deal a 54' bridge," but the top of our boat's mast was 53' off the water. I had to steer the boat just right, so that the mast and instruments on top of the mast did not hit the navigation light hanging below the bridge. This was another exciting and nerve racking moment. After we cleared the channel and bridge, I was given a heading and off we sailed back toward Pensacola Bay. Sailing in the Gulf was a nice respite to piloting the channels. It was so relaxing and calming, just sailing (I can't wait until my family takes off on our adventure!!). The day ended with us practicing the Run point-of-sail, more sailing to a given heading, and me docking the boat back at its home marina. That night we had dinner with Kathy's husband John, at a local restaurant. John also happens to be an instructor.

Tomorrow's post, Part 3 will complete the blogs of my experience while obtaining my Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter Certifications.

Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter Certifications Part 1 of 3

2010-05-17T08:00:00.016-04:00

The week of May 2nd, I was in Pensacola, FL in a 6 day/5 night class to obtain my Coastal Cruising and Bareboat Charter certifications, through American Sailing Association. The class was held on a Beneteau 39' sailboat named "Splendid Adventures." My class consisted of 4 students and 1 instructor. Besides myself, the other students were a couple, Bob and Biana, from Warner Robins, GA and a guy named Gary from Alpharetta, GA. The instructor was Kathy Struchen.

Success! I completed both certifications with above 90% competency.

The class started on a Sunday afternoon, with a review of the boat and boat systems as well as duty roster sign-up. The duties were helmsman/safety officer, running rigging (1), running rigging (2)/dinghy captain/anchor, and galley officer/communications/navigator. Duties rotated so that everyone had a full day at each of the positions. The first day also included obtaining provisions for the week. The first night was spent on the boat at the marina. :)

Monday saw a low pressure system move into the area accompanied with rain, high winds, thunder, and lighting (this was the same system that flood Nashville.) We spent the day learning about weather, navigation, reviewing Basic Keelboat knowledge, and we took the written portion of the Coastal Cruising certification exam. That night we had a great seafood dinner, made by Kathy.

On Tuesday, the sky was beginning to clear. We departed from the marina, taking turns at the helm to get a feel for the boat's handling and maneuverability. Afterwards, we practiced mooring ball pickup, docking, man-overboard maneuvers, and points-of-sail. The busy morning was followed by playing catch up on the Monday activities that were rained out. We sailed to our anchorage at Redfish anchorage in Big Lagoon. This was my first experience with a windlass. I see the advantages of having a windlass, but I also see the draw backs (too easy to lose little fingers). After anchoring, we took a dinghy ride over to Gulf Island National Seashore where we walked on beaches. There weren't just any beaches .... these were the types only accessible by boat. It was so beautiful. We capped off the day with a gorgeous sunset and wonderful grilled chicken dinner, with caribbean rice. My primary duties for this day were running rigging (2)/dinghy captain/anchor. I was really busy for most of the day.

Come back tomorrow for part 2...

1 Yr Old Blog!

2010-05-16T08:00:00.007-04:00

WOW! It is hard to believe that it was 1 year ago today that this blog was born.

While our journey towards this life has been posted publicly on the Internet since November 2007, it wasn't until we started to receive a fairly continuous stream of emails asking for more gory details that we decided we should jump in with both feet and do a daily blog. So last year Val and I said, "What the heck!" Since then, we've not missed a single day of posting about our transformation.

We've met so many wonderful folks through this mechanism, and we've learned a ton. Thank you to everyone whom reads, comments, and sends us emails. We appreciate all the support.

Here are a few of my favorite posts over the first year:

Happy Birthday Little Blog!

199!!!!

2010-05-15T08:00:00.002-04:00

Holy Smokes!!! Today is 199! 199 days until we hit what we call Gold Zone. It is the zone wherein a number of life's tethers, like the apartment lease, naturally dissolve. 199 days until we can very easily step aboard Ariel and sail away.

It is remarkable how fast time is dripping away. It seems like it wasn't long ago that we were at 1,000 days until we hit the Gold Zone, and being less than 200 days away is almost surreal.

Next stop, 99 days! A double digit midget!

Wow.

Oh, and at the moment we are discussing a quick drive to Savannah to see Ariel ... to celebrate 199!

Hooka Dive System - Hookamax

2010-05-14T08:00:00.006-04:00

To say Val and I are avid SCUBA divers would be an understatement. In addition to having dived in waters all over the world (including Truk Lagoon, the Mediterranean, Roatan Honduras, etc.) Val and I are both Master Scuba divers, with ratings from both NAUI and PADI. It gets even more extreme. 8 years ago, I took a 1 year sabbatical from consulting, obtained a mixed gas card from IANTD and became a PADI certified Divemaster. With the professional rating, I worked aboard boats in Florida taking tourists down (and up!). It was an awesome year to say the least.

When we make the boat our full time home, sailing around the world, our basement will be the environment we love so much. It will be temping to strap a tank onto our backs, and go in .... everyday. Alas, SCUBA gear, tanks, refill compressors, and all the maintenance that comes with the equipment just doesn't fit into our KISS principle. Plus, our boat is simply too small for all the stuff.

Being on the ocean and not diving won't work, and taking all the equipment needed to dive won't work. Our solution is to get a Hooka dive system.

A hooka diving system is a surface supplied air system. Hoses from a compressor, resting above the water, carry air down to a diver. Hooka systems have been used for a long time. You can get gasoline compressors, you can get 120V/240V systems, and you can even get 12VDC ones. Each with varying diver capacity. The obvious limitation is that the diver is always tethered to the air source above the water.

Some of the systems can provide air down to a diver at 100 feet! Others are only good to 20 feet. Some can support two divers, and others four.

With our particular boat configuration, we've decided a solid 12V DC system would be best. They are light weight and can run right off of our batteries. This implies the time under water is limited by the capacity of our batteries (and other physiological constraints). However, 12V DC systems are typically the most limited in terms of diver capacity and depth. 2 divers, 20 feet deep, is about all one system can handle at a time. We suspect, though, that such limitations will not impede our enjoyment. Much of the oceans brilliance happens in less than 20 feet due to the penetration depth of sunlight. Will there be those times that Val and I want to go deeper? Yes, but we simply won't be able to go deeper short of a free dive or renting some SCUBA gear from a local SCUBA shop. It is a trade off.

After reviewing all I can on the Internet, including the potential of building my own Hooka system (plenty of DIY plans out there), the system we are interested in buying is the Hookamax Dive System, the E2005C-12V 2X50 model. It seems rugged, fairly priced, fully featured, and the photos on the site are great!

In addition to just exploring reefs, Hookah systems are also great for staying down to clean the underside of the boat and for spear fishing as you can just hang under the water for hours.

Underwater world, here comes our family!

Lessons from Cheap Vandwellers

2010-05-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

Studying other niches of life can provide excellent information for the life you're in, or intending to be in. Previously I shared the concept of Microcrusing. There is another group of folks whom live in very confined spaces that we can learn from, those living cheaply in vans, small campers, cars, and such. To this end, I offer you the best website I've ever found on this topic: Cheaprvliving.com.

I had become a fan of this site when Val and I first started talking about dumping the hamster race and seeing the world. The folks on the Cheaprvliving.com site really know how to live in small spaces cheaply! They cover all the neat stuff like living without refrigeration, how to shower when you don't have one, and using solar ovens.

Enjoy!

Gulf Coast Preparation for Oil Spill

2010-05-12T08:00:00.004-04:00

The Deepwater Horizon's oil spill about 2 weeks ago almost caused my class to be postponed. There was talk from local officials about closing off the water ways to all but essential needs. Fortunately, the class went forward and the timing afforded me an interesting opportunity. I was able to observe, first hand, how folks prepare for such disasters as a floating oil slick.

In Pensacola, FL area, I observed the place ment of floating booms to help keep the oil from touching the shore. In the photo, you will see all the yellow booms all strung together.

I saw floating booms put into place at both ends of Big Lagoon, along the Gulf Island National Seashore, wetlands on Johnson Beach, and around various oyster beds in the immediate area.

In the second photo, you can see what these booms look like when placed in the water.

There is a lot of concern about the potential environmental effects this oil spill will have on the area and the Gulf. When talking with local folks, local small business people shared with me that they are already feeling the economic effects of the disaster. Most immediately impacted were the commercial and sport fishing businesses. The marinas, charter companies, and marine rental businesses are keeping a close eye on the oil spill too, not only in terms of revenue impact, but they are also watching the oil because it is extremely damaging to boats and equipment.

Our thoughts and well wishes go out to everyone and everything effected by this oil spill.

Back from Coastal Cruising School

2010-05-11T08:00:00.009-04:00

Hello Everyone, I'm back from my Coastal Cruising class!

I had a wonderful time and learned a lot. I will blog in-depth, in the coming days.

My class was held on a 39' Beneteau sailboat. It took a day for me to acclimate myself to a monohull, after sailing on our Gemini 3200 catamaran for almost a year. Ninety percent of the class was held in the waterway from Pensacola, FL to Perdido Bay, AL and in the Gulf of Mexico. I met some very nice people and had some awesome local seafood.

The mental break was nice, too. When not sailing, I found tons of time to read, meditate, listen to the waves, and just relax. Now, I'm back into the grove of home life and boat modifications.

Like I said above, I had a wonderful time, but I'm happy to be back home with my family.

Propane and Propane Accessories

2010-05-10T08:00:00.003-04:00

Our boat uses propane for the refrigerator, hot water heater, and stove. It has 2 tanks in a locker (pictured), with only one at a time actually hooked up to the system. We plan on using the refrigerator in ice box mode, unless we are in a marina and have electric hook ups (the frig can run on propane or electricity), and we don't plan on using the hot water heater very often. This implies that the 2 tanks of propane will be used mainly for cooking.

Based on our estimates, if used solely for cooking, the 2 tanks will give us about 4 months of usage. This means that every 3 to 4 months, we will have to get our tanks refilled. Therein lies a challenge to overcome. There is no propane tank fitting that is universal. That is, there is no tank fitting that works everywhere around the globe.

We don't have a solution to the problem yet, but others are sailing around the world just fine and they are getting their propane tanks filled somehow. I'm wondering if there is some kind of adapter pack I could buy, like I have for when I'm traveling around the world and need electrical power.

This challenge is a gas!

Tune Ups For The Trip and The Ironman Triathlon

2010-05-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today we are in South Carolina, near Newberry. I'm competing in a Sprint triathlon, the shortest distance of all the triathlon races. I'm using this race as a tune up for the Ironman race I'm competing in, in July. Races like these are great for working on the mechanics of transitions (from swim to bike, and from bike to run).

Such races are analogous to the weekends we will begin taking in Savannah to practice for sailing around the world. The Sprint triathlon provides a way to experience all the same actions as the Ironman race, but compressed into a 2 hour period. This is exactly how our weekends in Savannah will become. 3 days out on the boat will micro tastes of the trip to come. As August rolls around, we will start taking week long trips on the boat, adding even more to the tune up experiences.

Going for the full distance, even if one has done them before as I have with my past Ironman races, without some tune ups increases the odds of encountering problems. Lower the odds, practice in small containable periods. Plus, you get all the joy of doing what you love.

Life Is Full Of Donut Choices

2010-05-08T08:00:00.005-04:00

Val is due back today. Yeah! It has been one heck of a week without her; she is truly the energy of our family. How does this daddy celebrate her return? By taking his daughters out for one final "mommy's away at sailing class" food outing .... to our local donut shop!

As I watched KJ point out the donuts to her sister, and listened to KJ provide an assessment of each donut in the case ("That one has blue sprinkles and tastes really good", "But that one has pink sprinkles and it is really good"), my mind took a step back and focused on the choices Val and I face today.

Each day, Val and I make a conscious choice about me continuing to work. From a financial perspective, we now have the option of sailing away any day we want. However, I have an amazing job, I work with amazing people, and there is still some professional growth to be had. Plus, more money in the sailing kitty is always good.

When we go sail, I will have a blue sprinklely donut. While working in my current job, I have a pink sprinklely donut. It is true win win scenario.

The trick is to enjoy the pink donut just long enough to still enjoy the flavor while not letting the blue donut get moldy before eating it too. That is the balance point Val and I find ourselves on right now ... judging how best to have both donuts.

This reflects the wonderful position we are in. We are not picking from a trash can full of rotten apples, we are picking from fresh donuts in the bakers case.

In life, there is far more control about where you eat from than most will admit. If they did admit it, then they would have no one to blame but themselves for the crap they eat.

You are the baker of your life. Pick your ingredients and get to work. It is time to make the donuts.

Oh, KJ and Dy both ended up with the pink sprinklely donut.

Entertainment - Sailing The Stars

2010-05-07T08:00:00.003-04:00

There is no doubt about it, we are a Science Fiction family. Val is a Star Wars person, and I'm a Trekker. Val likes magic (The Force) and I like the science (Warp Drives!). Either way, both of our daughters are inundated with science fiction. We own all of the Star Wars and Star Trek movies on DVD. Alas, that isn't enough.

About 2 weeks ago we received our order for a collection of EVERY single Star Trek TV episode ever made! This includes all the original series, TNG (The Next Generation), Voyager, Deep Space 9, and Enterprise! Hours and hours, weeks and weeks, months and months, and years and years of Star Trek!!! While we are out sailing around the world, these DVDs will provide us our video entertainment sans commercials.

For the record: Picard over Kirk

Best to worst series: DS9, TNG, Original Series, Voyager, Enterprise

Best 2 Movies: The Original Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan

Worst Movie: The Voyage Home (this movie should never have been made)

Greatest Female Character: Seven of Nine

We will boldly go where no man (one) has ever gone before!

Jellyfish On Beach At Hilton Head

2010-05-06T08:00:00.005-04:00

While visiting Ariel, we made our base of operation the Crowne Plaza resort on Hilton Head Island. This resort is our favorite in Hilton Head. It is reasonably priced, in a good location with lots of bike paths, clean, has 2 nice pools (one a kiddie pool), and has a nice beach right on the ocean.

The girls really enjoyed running up and down the beach, screaming and chasing seagulls. And then, this mystery creature was spied

This beautiful creature stopped KJ right in her tracks! "What is it?" KJ asked. Ahh, the mighty Jellyfish! It became a topic of conversation for a few moments ... until a wave came up and washed it back to the sea.

As we explained to KJ, a Jellyfish isn't really a fish at all and there is a big movement to rename them Jellies. The movement has the same passion and fervor as the efforts to return Pluto to planet status. Anyway, we talked to KJ about not touching Jellies as they have stinging capabilities (nematocysts).

Even though they can sting some people eat Jellyfish. In fact, there is such a thing as a Jellyfish Master whom processes these creatures to make them edible. KJ liked the idea of a Jellyfish Master.

Ah, the wonderful factoids one learns when becoming a dive master (such information is entertaining to tourists as well as kids! :))

Cinco de Mayo! Learning Spanish

2010-05-05T08:00:00.003-04:00

Hola! Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Running low here on the Spanish vocabulary. Given that our sailing plan puts us in Mexican waters, Central America, and South America for a year, we believe it is a good idea to learn Spanish. As a family, how best do we do that? We have a 4 year old and a 2 year old. Videos! While Dora the Explorer is fun for the girls, it really doesn't provide enough Spanish vocabulary building for us to actually operate in Latin America.

At the moment, we are in the throws of teaching Dy how to talk. How are we doing that? Using picture books and kiddie videos, so that is what we will be doing for our Spanish lessons. We will obtain the materials used by Spanish speaking families to teach their own children, and use them to teach all of us.

I've been out to EBay and I see a number of such tools for $5 or less. This should be fun!

Oh, and Cinco de Mayo is the day used to observe the Mexican army's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Adios!

Baking Soda

2010-05-04T08:00:00.005-04:00

A couple of days ago, Val shared one of her favorite, simple living, boat voyaging friendly substances, White Vinegar. Today is my turn. I nominate Baking Soda as the stuff. It is a natural mineral that has whatever number of uses White Vinegar has plus 1!

Baking soda can be used for cleaning, fire extinguishing, and deodorizing because of its chemical composition (blending of carbonic acid and sodium hydroxide) and its physical properties.

In the case of deodorizing, it doesn't just mask odors, it neutralizes them chemically. It is for this reason that you will find baking soda in deodorant body powers and bath salts.

Of all the uses, here are 10 to show the variety of ways baking soda can be used:

Toothpaste (always a classic use of baking soda)
Underarm deodorant (can be patted onto the skin)
Helps relieve sunburn sting and insect bite pain
Antacid (1 teaspoon plus 10 oz of water mixed ... great for heartburn)
Cleans fruits and vegetables well
Put in as laundry detergent in our clothes washing bucket
Stainless steel polish (when mixed with water the resulting paste is super)
Battery terminal cleaner (super when slightly corroded)
Shampoo (1 tablespoon to 20 oz of water)
Grease remover

Take that, Vinegar pusher! Heck, between Baking Soda, Vinegar, Hydrogren Peroxide, and Super Glue, we should have everything covered!

Picking A 6V Trojan Battery For The Boat

2010-05-03T08:00:00.004-04:00

2 weeks ago I faced a decision regarding the batteries on our Gemini, do I continue the current configuration of 2 six volt batteries per bank or go with a single twelve volt battery per bank. Based on all the reading I had done, I was pretty certain I could go with the single 12 V without issue. However, I elected to ask fellow forum members at the Living Aboard Forums their experienced opinions. After reading all the responses, I'm glad I did.

It seems the best bet is to go with the multiple 6V batteries as I'm more likely to get true deep cycle behavior I need from the batteries.

If the materials were guaranteed to be the same (actual metal on plates, their proportional thicknesses, the distances of the plates, etc.), then from a discharge perspective there should be no real difference between two 6V batteries and one 12V battery. Alas, marketing hype and the dissolution of the meaning “deep cycle” make this tough to guarantee short of taking the batteries apart and looking inside.

Other factors that are in favor of the 6V include being easier to lift 4 individual heavy blocks one at a time versus 2 heavier blocks one at a time. Additionally, if a cell fries then a smaller unit replacement is possible (e.g. just one 6V versus an entire 12V battery).

I'm also going after a true Golf Cart battery, and in this case it will be a Trojan T-145 6V Deep Cycle. It provides 215 Amp Hours at a 5 hour rate, and 260 Amp Hours at a 20 hour rate. Each battery weighs 72 pounds (eating nicely into our load capacity) and its dimensions match what we have space for.

With the configuration we have, two banks, with each bank consisting of two 6 volt batteries, we will have between 430 and 520 Amp Hours! With our switch out to LED lights, a low consumption electronic devices, and our election to use muscle power everywhere we can (e.g. I'm the windlass) means that we will have plenty of power capacity for our needs between charges.

Coastal Cruising Class

2010-05-02T08:00:00.004-04:00

This afternoon at 2:00pm, I will be in Pensacola, FL starting my Coastal Cruising class. The 6 day class is composed of 5 days living-aboard a 39' monohull sailboat and 1 day for examinations. I will be learning about tides, anchoring, navigation, and honing my sailing skills. I will be taking this class solo. The girls will be hanging out with Bill and their Aunts and I will have a learning vacation. I'm so excited! See y'all in a week!

Statue Of Liberty

2010-05-01T08:00:00.003-04:00

This week was a business travel week for me. I spent 3 days in Manhattan. One of the business meetings I had was in an office that looked out to the Statue Of Liberty. All through the meeting I watched ships go by. About every 8th vessel was a private boat making its way towards the Hudson river. Ahh, how nice it would be to sail past the Statue Of Liberty on our own boat. It is because of all the statue represents that our family has the opportunity to take this trip of a life time. Thank you Statue Of Liberty, and all you represent.

White Vinegar!

2010-04-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

On a sailboat, weight matters. If you overweight a sailboat, it not only impacts performance, but could put you, your family, and the boat in peril. This fact is ever-present in our minds as we compile our list of provision. The more versatile a product is, the higher it goes on our list.

White Vinegar is one such products. It has been said that vinegar has 1001 uses, I believe that it has more. It can be used to preserve food, a remedy for jelly fish and bee stings, deodorizer, stain remover, cleaner, beauty aid, in the laundry, a cat detourant, and the list goes on and on. It is believed that Hannibal used vinegar to clear large rocks that blocked his army's route. Now that's what I'm talking about!

On our adventure, we will be carrying vinegar. Do you know of any other such products that we should have on our list?

Sunbrella Fabric

2010-04-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

With all of the canvas sewing projects that we have on our list, a discussion arose to which outdoor/marine fabric we should use. After a little research the answer was easy, Sunbrella.

Sunbrella is a solution dyed acrylic fabric. Because it is solution dyed, the fabric is highly resistant to fading. It is also one of the best ultraviolet resistance fabrics available to consumers. Sunbrella will not noticeable shrink or stretch and it's breath-ability characteristic prevents condensation. The fabric is also water and mildew resistant. But best of all, both sides of this fabric are the same, meaning that either side can be exposed to the outside. It also means that this fabric does not have a wrong sides, which translates into less wasted fabric.

It is almost the perfect fabric for boats. We have chosen to use the Logo Red color on our boat.

Dentemp - Cavity Filling Stuff

2010-04-28T08:00:00.003-04:00

Last week, the day before going up on stage before 400 people, one of my fillings came out. There I was, with big hole in my tooth, and it was Sunday. My tongue would not stay out of it, and was being cut by the tooths exposed sharp edges.

I called the dentist office, and was offered the opportunity to call my dentist at home and ask her for a referral. I thought about it, then asked myself, "Well, what would I do if we were out on the boat?" Hmmm .... another normal life happening that could happen while we are out on the boat. My immediate answer was, "I'd put gum in the hole until we got to shore." Then Val remembered some stuff called Dentemp, it is a temporary filling substance that you can buy from a pharmacy. Once put in, it will hold for 3 or 4 days. Perfect! So, we went out and bought some Denttemp. It even has a pain reliever in the material.

It took me 3 different tries to get it put in right. The directions said to leave a bit of moisture in my mouth before putting the stuff in. Alas, each time I did that, the damn temporary filling fell out within a few hours. When I totally dried out my mouth and put it in, the stuff stayed. In fact, when I did go see the dentist 2 days later, she commented on how good of a job I did putting it in!

The nice commentary from my dentist was offset by the end result, I need a root canal. The filling fell out because there was a cavity underneath it, and the cavity was eating away at the tooth. The cavity ate right to the top of my tooth's nerve (hence the pain). This will be my 3rd root canal.

Dentemp is now another part of our boat medical kit.

Don't sail away without Dentemp!

Gemini 3200 Centerboards

2010-04-27T08:00:00.008-04:00

Our Gemini 3200 has two wood centerboards. For those not familiar with what centerboards are, here is a brief definition from Wikipedia.

"A centerboard is a retractable keel which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a centerboard trunk (US) or case."

Our centerboards are approximately seven feet long and very heavy, I would not hazard to guess their weight.

As mentioned above, they are made of wood. Unfortunately, wood is not the most durable material in water. Happily, our 20 year old, wood, centerboards are in excellent condition.

They are controlled from the inside of the boat via sockets in the galley and in the navigation station. By inserting a regular winch handle, into the socket, the centerboards can be fully raised or lowered or anywhere in between. The socket is connected to a 4" diameter drum, a rope attaches the drum and the top leading edge of the centerboards.

To keep our centerboards in excellent condition, we are having them painted with Interprotect 2000E and then Pettit Ultima SR-60 ablative antifouling paint.

Gemini 3200 on the Hard - Getting Ready for Bottom Paint

2010-04-26T08:00:00.004-04:00

Saturday's visit to Ariel was wonderful! We got an opportunity to see Ariel, talk to the boat yard owner, Dick Long, and take care of a few tasks.

Since our last visit with Ariel, she has been moved to her designated location in the boat yard, had all of the bottom paint blasted off of her, down to the gel coat, and fiberglass fixes below the waterline have begun. Ariel has some blisters; fortunately, almost all of the blisters are very small and are easily fixed.

We also got to inspect our 20 year old, wood centerboards. They are in perfect shape!

After all of the blisters have been fixed, the bottom and the centerboards will be ready to receive 4 to 5 coats of Interprotect 2000E and then 3 coats of Pettit Ultima SR-60 ablative antifouling bottom paint.

This should provide excellent protection for our Gemini 3200, in salt water.

Lifeline Netting - Prep for Installation

2010-04-25T08:00:00.002-04:00

Now that we have the lifeline netting from On Deck Sports, we have one task to complete before installation. The task is searing the end of each and every piece of cut netting. This is a very time consuming and labor intensive task, but I would rather sear the ends today than replace the netting in 6 months because I didn't. Based on reviews provided by members of Cruisers Forum, this netting should easily last 3 years.

Visiting Ariel in Savannah

2010-04-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today we are on our way to Savannah, GA to check on Ariel. We are eager to see what has been accomplished since we left her in Dick Long's capable hands, 2 weeks ago.

Our plans for today include remounting/connecting the solar panels, adding Sta-Bil gas stabilizer to the fuel tanks, replacing rusty splashwell plates, and installing lifeline netting.

Then we will spend some time at the beach and maybe indulge with some ice cream ;).

Replacement of Steering Arm Plate -Part1

2010-04-23T08:00:00.005-04:00

One of the major maintenance/repair items that has to be completed before we take off on our adventure is the replacement of our rusting splashwell plates. These plates connect the steering cables inside the boat to the rudder steering arms outside the boat. If these plates fail, we would have more difficult time steering the boat and would have a water entry point into the hull.

We will be replacing our existing rusty splashwell plates with fiberglass plates made by a fellow Gemini owner, Jim Beckley. We received the plates and assembly from Jim on Wednesday, and they look great. We will install them before Ariel is put back in the water.

Lifeline Netting

2010-04-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

Just in, our new lifeline netting. We decided several months ago that lifeline netting would be an important safety upgrade to our Gemini 3200, especially with our two girls on board.

We researched the netting at all of the usually marine chandlers. The pricing and mixed reviews on the netting were discouraging. We then turned our research to sailing forums. Some of the members of Cruisers Forum recommend sports netting from On Deck Sports. We were encouraged by the forum's thread, product reviews, and price. An order was placed and within 1 week we received 2 custom lifeline netting (2'x40').

The netting exceeds every expectation. Instead of just getting netting, we received netting trimmed with rope and 2 stainless steel spring clips, on each end.

We can't wait to install them on our next visit to Ariel!

Does It Really Matter?

2010-04-21T08:00:00.004-04:00

With the sailing date less than a year away, every decision is couched in the question "Does it really matter?" This is a wonderful question that without this trip, I never would have asked myself. It applies to all sorts of matters across the spectrum of life. The most recent example involves my car.

3 years ago, the speedometer in my car stopped working. I took the car to our mechanic and it would have cost $400 to fix (the entire dashboard was going to have to come out). I drove without the speedometer for about a month. I couldn't imagine plunking down $400 knowing that in just a few years I would be leaving on this trip. Does the speedo really matter? Yes, but there was another solution. I realized I could buy a car navigation system. For $150, I got a speedo + maps! Win Win!

4 months ago, the oil pressure gauge in my car stopped working. I love knowing that the oil pressure is working fine, but does it really matter? At this point I was a mere year away from selling my car and sailing around the world. No, it really doesn't matter. The car has never ever indicated it has a problem with oil pressure. The likelihood of it becoming a problem is very low. Heck, the first 3 cars I owned didn't have an oil pressure gauge, only an idiot light. So, no fixing the oil pressure gauge. I will keep the gauge fixing money in the bank.

Last week, my passenger headlight went out. Does this really matter? I thought about this carefully and critically. I could try and only drive during the day. But what happens if it rains? What happens if I really need to drive the car at night? This one does really matter. So this week, I will be getting the head light fixed.

Before this trip, I would have had everything fixed. I would have focused not on "Does it really matter?", but instead on maintaining a thing, not on the actual need.

Watch carefully ... you may find that you too have things that don't operate fully to their capability, but work just fine for your need. If it meets the need, then that is good enough.

Sailing to Zanzibar

2010-04-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

One of those places that strikes a cord in my inner explorer is Zanzibar. Just the name alone gets me excited. Images of ocean traders, white sandy beaches, and deep Africa parade through my head.

Zanzibar is about 20 miles off the coast of East Africa in the Indian ocean. Zanzibar is a part of Tanzania and operates "semi-autonomously." Zanzibar served as a hub for spice and Ivory trading in 1700.

When we are on the east side of Africa, our intent is to use Zanzibar as a launch point into the interior of Africa. The ability to spring to many parts of Africa is fantastic from this part of the continent. Mt. Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls, and the Serengeti National park are all do-able from there.

Zanzibar charges a whopping $100 USD per visa for US Citizens. This rate means that we will have to pay $400 to get in. Ugh. Just as my mind was thinking, "Damn that's absurd" I read that the Tanzanian government sets the visa charge equal to what the USA charges Tanzanian citizens for the equivalent visa. Still absurd, but the Tanzanian government pegging the amount to the US amount sounds fair to me. The visa is a multi-entry type and lasts for 12 months.

A survey of options shows that mooring ball rates run about $40 per week, and $100 per month. So hanging out for an extended period is quite do-able. Zanzibar, here we come!

Main Sail Repair

2010-04-19T08:00:00.016-04:00

Now that our Gemini 3200 is in Savannah, it's time for me to revisit some of my sewing projects. I took advantage of Sailrite's 10% off sale and placed a couple of orders, over the last month. One of these orders included materials necessary to complete some minor repairs to our main sail.

The repairs to the main sail included replacement of a broken shackle and slide on the foot of the sail and a permanent repair to a small rip in the sail.

Replacement of the broken shackle and slide was as easy as replacing a light bulb. The only tool needed was a small flat head screwdriver. Remove the old shackle by unscrewing a small screw, place the new slide onto the new shackle, and secure the shackle to the sail via the grommet. One thing to note when replacing a shackle on the foot of the sail is to make sure it is the same size as all of the other shackles. If it isn't, then the slide won't be the same distance away from the edge of the sail as the other slides and could cause chaffing on the sail. Sailrite recommends that if you are not sure about size of the shackle needed, replace all of the shackles so that they are all the same size.

The permanent repair to the small rip in our main sail allowed me to work with one of the newest members of our crew, Beulah . For this repair, I needed two pieces of 3"x 7" 4oz. Dacron sailcloth, V-92 white thread, 3/8" seamstick basting tape, and Beulah. After cutting out the sailcloth patches, I placed double stick seamstick on one side of both pieces of sailcloth patches, placed the patches over the center of the rip on both sides of the sail, and stitched the patches down using Beulah. The sail repair was a relativity easy repair. The only difficulty I had was maneuvering the sail under Ultrafeed LSZ to get the stitches exactly where they were needed.

The main sail is now ready to be placed back on the boom.